


Love is Great, Love is Kind, But Love is not Blind

by KingCrowleysLittlePet_666



Series: Supernatural OTP (Stories and Drabbles) [2]
Category: Supernatural
Genre: Alternate Universe - College/University, Blind!Dean, Blindness, Bullying, Christmas, Derogatory Language, I suck at tags, M/M, Male Homosexuality, Violence, request, rich!Gabriel
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2015-10-27
Updated: 2018-02-11
Packaged: 2018-04-28 11:50:44
Rating: Mature
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 22
Words: 68,216
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/5089673
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/KingCrowleysLittlePet_666/pseuds/KingCrowleysLittlePet_666
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>Dean Winchester is a college student that has to work three jobs in order to support himself as well as his brother states away. This isn't the only downfall. Dean is blind and has been from a young age. What happens when he runs into an eccentric millionaire and slowly, but surely, falls in love with him?</p>
            </blockquote>





	1. A Permanent Issue

**Author's Note:**

  * For [Lady_Midnight](https://archiveofourown.org/users/Lady_Midnight/gifts).



> This was a request given to me by Lady_Midnight.  
> I hope to have a couple chapters out, so I hope you enjoy.

Dean sighed as he took his sunglasses off his face, keeping his eyes closed in the process. He was tired of hearing all the comments that customers made about him wearing sunglasses inside, completely unaware of his disability. The sad thing is; if they did know, then they wouldn’t trust him to make their food.

Ever since a young age, Dean had been blind. It happened when he was five. He was helping his father work on his vintage 1967 black Chevy Impala while his little brother, Sam, was taking a nap. It was just a situation when he was in the wrong place at the wrong time. When John went to start the car, it backfired, sending burning petrol into the five-year-old’s face. Dean didn’t even remember why he was at the back of the car, but that didn’t matter. The burning liquid had reached the child’s eyes, burning the tissue in the process.

 

                It was a horrible experience, something that he never wanted to experience ever again. From that day forth, Dean was unable to see anything. He would be lying if he said he didn’t miss seeing the rain, or the sunset, or even his own brother’s face. It didn’t matter though; there was nothing he could do to return to the way he had been.

 

                Twenty-one years after the accident, Dean was cooking food for hungry diners at a small café during the day, cooking for alcoholics at night and stacking books on shelves at the library on the weekends, meanwhile going to his college classes whenever he could. Working three jobs took a toll on the college student. He hadn’t slept in what seemed like months, but he needed the money for his tuition and, every now and then, a small something for Sam to pay rent or have some fun. Even though his brother was at a completely different university and was completely grown, he still felt he needed to look after him, especially since he was unable to for a long while.

 

                “Table 27 needs the Slam burger with extra mayonnaise hon,” The female voice snapped Dean out of his inner thoughts.

 

                Dean’s head snapped to the side, towards the direction of the female’s voice. “Alright Helen,” Dean said, turning back to the stove he knew was in front of him. “Slam burger with extra mayo, coming right up.”

 

                Helen was a town favorite. She was in her mid to late forties with two children who were already grown. Her kind and gentle personality kept customers coming back just so they could talk to her. Her brown and grey hair was always pulled back in a ponytail and her age was only noticeable by the wrinkles that littered her face.

 

Dean would never get to see her smile.

 

                “Thanks hon,” Helen said before she disappeared.

 

                Dean immediately got to work, moving around the kitchen that he had memorized by heart. He got out the necessary ingredients and placed them on the counter, careful not to let any of them drop on the ground. Dean wasn’t the only one who actually worked in the kitchen. There were two other chefs in there as well.

 

                Adam Milligan was a freshman at Dean’s school. He had hair that was slightly longer and slightly lighter than Dean’s. His skin was anything but tan and he had a slight muscular build. Dean had learned that Adam lived with his mother and step-father for most of his life and was planning on getting his Bachelor’s degree in Business Management. Adam wasn’t someone Dean would hang out with often, but he was a good person to be around.

 

                The other chef was Meg Masters. She was a year younger than Dean. She had long dark brown hair that reached down to the top of her shoulder blades. She was almost as pale as Adam, but not quite. Her snarky attitude was not that pleasant to be around, Dean had decided, so he rarely talked to her. He found out, though, that she was planning on getting a major in art.

 

                Dean himself was hoping to make it in mechanics. He loved to work on cars, and his top two goals in life is to own his own car repair shop and to be able to find the part of each and every make and model without his vision, something that would have to happen one way or another.

 

                “Order up Helen!” Adam semi-shouted and rang the small bell.

 

                Dean shook his head as he heard Helen respond with a ‘thanks hon’ before hearing her footsteps retreat. Dean then began to cook the patty. The sizzling of the grease on the grill filled his highly sensitive ears.

 

                “You need some help there white eyes?” Meg said as she gently touched her shoulder against Dean’s.

 

                Dean groaned and sighed heavily. He hated it with a passion when people called him ‘white eyes’. He wasn’t even sure if his eyes were white. He just thought they were their normal green color, but the petrol must have gotten rid of the color.

 

                “No, I don’t need your help Megan,” Dean responded as he flipped the burger and began counting in his head.

 

                Meg scoffed as Dean heard her walk away. He gave a small smirk to himself, for he knew that Meg hated being called Megan.

 

                Dean went back to the meal at hand, placing the cooked meat patty on the white bun and finishing it off with the necessary toppings, remembering to add extra mayonnaise. Dean held his hand out to the left.

 

                “Hey Adam,” He called before the plate was removed from his hand.

 

                “Got it,” Adam replied as he heard the fries being dropped onto the plate.

 

                Before Adam could take the plate up to the pass, Dean grabbed a packet or two of extra mayo from a small container at the corner of the counter that sat next to the fridge. He then walked over and placed them on the plate next to the fries. Adam grinned slightly before setting the plate down at the pass.

 

                “You try too hard Winchester,” Adam said as he shook his head as he rung the small bell. “Slam burger up!” He semi-shouted once again.

 

                Dean smirked and shrugged. “That’s how you get paid Milligan.” He turned around and walked back to his own station.

 

                Adam shrugged. “I guess you’re right,” He replied with a chuckle.

 

                Dean kept the smirk on his face as he cleaned up the station from the previous order.

 

The rest of the day went by a little slower than Dean would have imagined, especially when it came time for him to cook at the local bar. For being a Monday, the bar and the café were both quite deserted, getting small spurts of groups here and there. He was happy when he got done with his shift, and even more so when he remembered he had no assignments due the next day. Great work, huh? Maybe he could go back to his dorm and get more than two hours of sleep that night.

 

                He kept quiet as he crept into the room, just in case his roommate, Castiel, was sleeping in the other bed, which was highly unlikely. That kid liked to stay up and browse the web till early hours in the morning, and he was still able to get up for his classes. Dean never understood how, but he did. And, of course, the only thing that lit up the room was the light from Castiel’s computer screen that was unbelievably close to the guy’s face.

 

                When Dean closed the door, Castiel looked up from his activities for a split second before gluing his eyes back on the screen. “What’s up,” Castiel said.

 

                Dean nodded in the direction of his roommate’s voice. “What up,” He replied before making his way over to the closet that sat next to his own twin sized bed.

 

                The only sound that filled the room was the clicking coming from Castiel’s computer mouse. Dean felt around to find the handles of the dresser and opened up the top dresser, picking out a shirt. He opened the dresser drawer directly under the previous one, grabbing a pair of sweatpants. He changed right there, completely certain that Castiel was still staring at his blinding computer screen.

 

                When he was dressed, he felt his way onto his bed. He laid down. Before he turned on his side, he glanced in the direction Castiel was in.

 

                “Are you going to stay up all night like last night?” Dean asked with a small smile.

 

                Castiel shrugged. “Probably,” He said. “The internet is limitless.”

 

                “You need to sleep.”

 

                “I slept all my way through high school,” Castiel replied. “I’m pretty sure I’m caught up on sleep until I hit my midlife crisis.”

 

                Dean chuckled. “Alright, whatever you say.” Dean said before he turned onto his side, back facing Castiel.

 

                Dean closed his eyes and evened out his breathing. The random clicking from the computer mouse lulling him to sleep.

 

~*~

 

                Dean had awoken the next day to hear the clicking from the laptop mouse. Dean smirked lightly and shook his head before running his fingers through his bed hair.

 

                “What time is it Cas?” Dean asked as he stretched his stiff joints.

 

                “I don’t know,” He replied.

 

                “Well, can you tell me?” Dean asked as he threw his legs over the side of the bed.

 

                “Now until you call me by my actual name.” Castiel growled before turning his head towards Dean.

 

                Dean sighed. “Fine,” He said. “What time is it Castiel?”

 

                Castiel nodded. “Thank you,” He said before he glanced down at the small clock that was on the computer screen. “7:30.” He replied before he went back to doing whatever he was doing on the computer.

 

                Dean sighed and ran both of his hands over his face. He had about an hour before he had to go to his first class. It was either skip a shower or skip breakfast. He hadn’t showered in two days, and the week old bar food that he was forced to cook and eat last night made his appetite vanish. Shower it was!

 

                With that, the blind man stood up, holding his hands out slightly so he wouldn’t bump into anything. He never used a walking stick. He never wanted to get used to one, plus they were a pain in the ass to carry, and it would be more difficult to carry his mountain of textbooks to each class when he had a cane in his hand.

 

                “Now, I’m not going to trip over anything, am I?” Dean asked as he moved his feet across the ground.

 

                “You shouldn’t,” Castiel said, lifting his head but not his eyes.

 

                Dean shook his head a sighed lightly before finding the doorway into the small bathroom that the two were forced to share. Dean never felt comfortable with the co-ed bathrooms that the university provided, so he was glad when they also gave smaller bathrooms to each dorm room. His feet padded against the tile as he entered the bathroom, closing the door behind him. He sighed before reaching the tub and leaning over the side, turning the handles to turn on the water. But no water came out. He furrowed his brows before he sighed.

 

                “Castiel? Why’s the shower off?” He asked, keeping his hand on the handle, but turning his head to face the door.

 

                “Oh,” He could hear Castiel’s voice through the door. “I forgot to tell you; they made an announcement while you were at work. Something’s busted in the pipes, so our showers will be out for a while, but the co-ed showers are still working.”

 

                Dean groaned and stood up straight. Fuck that. He shrugged to himself before he began to walk out of the bathroom. His foot came in contact with a soft piece of fabric and, before he knew it, his body flew forward. First instinct was to put out both of his hands to catch his fall. Both of his hands landed on the tile floor as well as his stomach, causing him to groan.

 

                He rolled onto his side and growled. “Dammit Castiel!” He shouted. “What the hell did I just trip over!?”

 

                “Probably my shirt from last night when I took my shower.” He responded nonchalantly.

 

                “Well get up and get it out of here!” Dean yelled.

 

                “Why?”

 

                “Because I just tripped over it!”

 

                “But I’m reading fanfiction!”

 

                “Just get in here!” Dean shouted back as he used his sore hands as leverage to lift himself off the bathroom floor.

 

                Castiel groaned, but reluctantly set his computer on the side and stood up, sluggishly making his way into the room. Dean heard Castiel’s footsteps as he came into the room and picked up every piece of clothing that he had left their after his shower. Dean grumbled something before feeling his way back into the room. He shuffled instead of walked, cautious not to trip over anything Castiel might have ‘accidently’ left lying on the floor.

 

                Dean had successfully reached his dresser and grabbed his clothes from the correct dressers. He grabbed a t-shirt, he wasn’t sure which one, and jeans, everything goes well with jeans, and a clean pair of undergarments. Once he closed his dresser drawer, he heard the familiar creak of Castiel’s bed, signaling that he was out of the bathroom. So Dean made his way back into the bathroom, closed the door, and changed into his clean attire.

 

                After changing into his attire, he exited the bathroom and turned his head in the direction of Castiel’s bed. “So, are you going to class?” He asked his roommate as he walked over to his bed and felt around until he found his backpack.

 

                “Not until 11,” Castiel said.

 

                “Doesn’t you classes start at nine though?”

 

                Castiel shrugged. “This fanfiction has six chapters and I’m only halfway through the first chapter.”

 

                “It’ll take you three and a half hours to read only six chapters?” Dean cocked his brow.

 

                “You don’t understand Dean, these are long chapters,” Castiel said.

 

                Dean smirked as he shook his head and placed his arm in the shoulder strap of the backpack. The pack rested against his shoulder as he leaned his body to one side to keep it from sliding off his arm.

 

                “What time is it?” Dean asked.

 

                “7:55.” Castiel said rapidly.

 

                Dean figured he didn’t have time to stop at the dining hall for a full breakfast, but he figured he would stop at a vending machine to get a granola bar. He loved the peanut butter one, B-27 on the vending machine.

 

                “Alright,” Dean said with a heavy sigh. “I’ll see you later Cas,” He walked to the door, and exited.

 

                “My name is Castiel!” He shouted back at Dean after he left.

 

                Dean walked across campus to the building that most of his lectures were located. He used his sensitive hearing to listen to the footsteps around him. People also were kind enough to avoid bumping into him, but there were some assholes that purposely tripped him because of his blindness.

 

                Luckily, he crossed the courtyard without any complications. He grabbed his granola bar at the vending machine at the entrance hall of the building before beginning to make his was up to his classroom. He tore the package off of the snack and shoved it into his pocket, promising himself that he will throw it away when he got into the classroom.

 

                He finished his peanut butter granola bar and wiped his mouth with the back of his hand. He was on the third floor then, the location of his first class. He grabbed the one backpack strap with both of his hands, attempting to maneuver around the other students in the hall. Dean was getting close to his classroom now. The room was 50 paces from the stairway he normally took. He counted on his first day. And it was on the left side of the hall.

 

                When he was close to the room, something caught his foot, causing him to tumble forward onto his stomach once more. He groaned as he felt the carpet rub up against his palms and cheeks. He heard four different laughs coming from behind him.

 

                “Watch where you’re going white-eyes.” A deep male laughed before he heard the group retreat.

 

                Dean groaned before he moved his even-more-sore palms on the floor. Before he was able to lift himself off the ground, two arms wrapped themselves under one of his arms.

 

                “Here, let me help,” He heard before he was pulled up, making it easier for him to get himself up.

 

                “Thank you,” Dean replied before brushing off his shirt and jeans.

 

                “No problem, are you alright?”

 

                Dean nodded. The voice was deep, definitely male. It had a slight tone of excitement as he spoke his words.

 

                Dean shook his head, but responded with, “Yeah, I’m alright,”

 

                “That was a dick thing to do, wasn’t it?” The man asked.

 

                Dean nodded, his cheeks getting painted with a slight tinge of pink from the small amount of embarrassment that filled him. Dean couldn’t see the man, but he was shorter compared to him. He had longish, dirty blonde hair and a signature smile. He wore a green t-shirt, jeans, and an even darker green overcoat.

 

                “Gabriel Novak,” The man said and grabbed Dean’s hand.

 

                “Dean Winchester,” He said. “Are you related to Castiel Novak?”

 

                Gabriel shook his head. “No relation.”

 

                It was then that the bell rang. Gabriel and Dean turned their heads towards the ringing sound of the bell.

 

                “Well, I gotta go,” Gabriel said as he began to walk away.

 

                “Alright,” Dean responded.

 

                Gabriel said nothing and left. Dean sighed. _Where was I at? Oh right, 45 paces._

                Dean walked the remainder of the way to the classroom and started his day.

 


	2. Damn Finances

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> When Sam calls Dean up to ask for some pay in advance, Dean finds himself in a deep financial problem.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Here is the next chapter! Hope you enjoy

“Yeah Sammy, I’ll send in a couple bucks when I can.” Dean said over the phone.

“For the last time Dean, it’s Sam.” Sam groaned over the other end of the cell.

Dean smirked and leaned up against the side of the brick building. Sam was already calling Dean to get him to send him one to two hundred bucks so he could pay rent. Sam asked earlier than he normally would. He usually waited to the second to or last week of the month, but it was only the last Wednesday of the month. Dean had already gave money to Sam a week prior and he was drastically low on funds. He wasn’t expecting his paycheck until the fifth of next month. Why it was the fifth, Dean never knew.

Dean smirked. “Whatever you say Sam.” Dean huffed. “When do you need the money by?”

 

                “Would Friday work? It’s just, the job isn’t paying much and the landowner’s pushing me to pay the first of the month from now on.”

 

                _From now on?_ Dean thought, his heart stopping for a split second. He shifted slightly and cleared his throat. “What about Jess?” Dean asked. Surely she was working.

 

                “She’s using her money to pay off her student loans. Come on Dean, it’s just once a month.”

 

                _That costs an arm and a leg,_ Dean thought as he sighed. He bit his lip and contemplated the situation. Of course he wanted to help Sam out, but he also needed money so he himself could get by. College food wasn’t free and he didn’t want to keep eating the garbage food from the bar or the diner. He wasn’t really fond of either. He didn’t like the new arrangement, but felt he had to go with it.

 

                “Alright Sam. By Friday you said?” Dean asked.

 

                “Yeah, thanks Dean, I owe you big time.” Sam replied, the smile he wore in his tone.

 

                “No, it’s no problem Sammy. Anything for my little brother.”

 

                “For the last time Dean, it’s Sam.”

 

                “Alright, yeah, whatever Sam.”

 

                The bell rang in the distance, signaling that lunch had ended and it was time for afternoon classes. Dean sighed. That bell meant he had to get ready to go to the diner.

 

                “I gotta go to work Sam. Talk to you later?” Dean said as he pushed his body off the wall he was previously leaning up against.

 

                “Alright man, I’ll talk to you later, and thank you again.”

 

                Dean smiled lightly. “No problem Sam, bye.”

 

                “Bye Dean.”

 

                Dean ended the call and sighed. He bit his lip once more before shaking his head and walking his way to the men’s dorm so he could meet Adam there. Of course he didn’t drive to work, not with his condition, and he was glad that Adam was kind enough to carpool with him.

 

                It was silent outside and, Dean had to be honest, it was peaceful, nothing compared to what it was like in the cafeteria or in the dorm. He loved it when it was quiet. He was usually able to think then. He tried and focused on building the image of his surroundings in his mind. He barely remembered colors or what things actually looked like, but he did his best to form the painting of the world around him.

 

                “Winchester!” Adam shouted as he saw Dean walking towards him. “Come on man, we’re gonna be late.”

 

                Dean began to jog. “I’m coming Milligan!” Dean smirked.

 

                Dean reached the car and used his hand to guide himself to the passenger’s side of the car. Adam had a brand new red 2005 Buick that he was relatively proud of, mainly because he paid for it with his own money. It was a nice looking car to say the least. The two of them got in and Adam started the car.

 

                “How did your morning classes go?” Adam asked as he backed the car out of the parking spot and began to drive.

 

                Dean sighed. “As usual.” He replied.

 

                “Anyone give you crap?”

 

                “Yeah, but someone actually helped me today.” Dean said.

 

                “Oh really? Who?”

 

                “Gabriel Novak?” Dean said, but questioned how accurate he was. “Heard of him?”

 

                “Yeah, who hasn’t?”

 

                “Well, I haven’t heard of him before he helped me.” Dean said.

 

                “Dude he’s, like, the son of the fifth richest man alive!” Adam had a smile on his face. “He’s loaded!”

 

                “Really?” Dean questioned. “Then why is he at our school?”

 

                Adam shrugged. “No one knows man, but all the women swarm him, ask him for his number and…”

 

                “And let me guess; he takes whoever throws themselves at him and throws them away when they’re done?”

 

                “No,” Adam responds. “Actually, he doesn’t. No one has seen him with anyone, and I mean _anyone_. He always seems to push the girls away or just ignore their flirting.”

 

                “So?”

 

                “So,” Adam began. “There’s been a, small rumor going around that he’s homoerotic.”

 

                Dean quirked an eyebrow up and glanced towards the direction of the driver’s seat. “Homo…?”

 

                “Queer. Homophile. Gay.”

 

                “Why would people assume that?” Dean questioned.

 

                Adam shrugged once more. “Just something that starts all the time. If a guy hasn’t been with a girl in the first year of college, then people automatically assume they’re gay until proven wrong.”

 

                “Isn’t that a bit…harsh?”

 

                “Yeah, I guess. I mean, I never really start the rumors.”

 

                “But you carry them on?”

 

                “Someone has to.”

 

                Dean nodded. He swallowed heavily before turning his head to look back at Adam. “What if I told you I was gay?”

 

                Adam smirked before he laughed. His laugh was long and cheerful. He pressed his hand against Dean’s shoulder and pushed him a little. “Come on man, you? That’s funny. We all know you’re a lady’s man.”

 

                Dean smirked lightly. His cheeks felt like they were on fire and he was pretty sure it was visible, but hearing Adam’s continuous laughter told him otherwise.

 

                Of course, Dean had considered himself the lady’s man, at first. There were two or three times when he had a moment with a woman and, in all instances, he felt quite unsatisfied. It wasn’t that he didn’t enjoy the company of a women, he just doesn’t like to perform sexual acts with them. Even though he wasn’t able to tell what anyone looked like, the thought of being with another man made his cheeks heat up. He would never admit it though. If people were already spreading rumors about someone being secretly gay, what would they do if they found out someone was openly gay? People were just cruel like that.

 

                “I wouldn’t go saying that,” Adam’s laughter died down, his tone serious. “Even if it’s to defend someone. You don’t know what could happen.”

 

                Dean had nothing to say. He only nodded and turned his head to face the window. The two men were silent the rest of the trip to the diner, but the radio gave out its sound so the ride would not have been that awkward.

 

                They arrived at the diner in less than five minutes and the men exited the car. Adam went ahead of Dean so he could hold the door open for him. Dean thanked Adam and proceeded to walk into the building.

 

                “Hey boys,” Helen called from behind the counter.

 

                “Hey Helen,” Adam and Dean called back.

 

                Dean placed his hand against the counter and walked along until he was able to round the counter so he was on the other side. “Helen, can I ask you a question?” Dean asked, slightly skittish.

 

                “Sure thing honey, what’s on your mind?” She asked, placing the washrag that she was using to clean the top of the counter.

 

                “I,” Dean stopped himself and listened. “Is Adam here?”

 

                Helen turned towards Adam, who was sitting at the counter. “Adam, hon, go get prepped for dinner, I got a feeling we’re going to be busy as ever tonight.”

 

                Adam nodded. “Alright Helen.”

 

                Dean turned his head, listened, and waited until he heard the door to the kitchen open and slowly close. Once it closed he turned his head back towards the middle-aged woman. Dean rubbed the back of his head as he felt around for the edge of the counter. Once he found it, he put pressure on his hand and leaned up against it.

 

                “Ugh,” Dean stuttered as he tried to think of how to phrase his request. “Helen, do you think that…maybe…maybe I could get a…raise?”

 

                Helen sighed and leaned up against the counter right in front of Dean. “Hon, listen, I’m not the boss, you can’t talk to me about it.” She replied, placing her hand against Dean’s shoulder. “You’re gonna have to talk to Mr. Walker about that.”

 

                Dean groaned. “But Helen, Mr. Walker fucking hates me.”

 

                “We do NOT use that type of language around here, especially in front of a woman.” Helen said and smacked Dean on the shoulder rather roughly.

 

                Dean rubbed his shoulder. “Sorry ma’am.”

 

                “You’re forgiven,” Helen replied. “Anyway, you’ll need to talk to Mr. Walker. It’s the end of the month, so he’ll be in tonight to go over the finances. He doesn’t trust me at all with the money. Being old makes me incompetent, right?” She had a smirk on her face.

 

                Dean smiled. “No way Helen, you’re still young. How old are you? 29?”

 

                Helen continued to smirk as she patted Dean on the shoulder. “Alright kiss-up, why don’t you go and help Adam prep?”

 

                “Meg not here yet?” Dean wondered.

 

                Helen shook her head. “No, and she hasn’t called in either. Then again, you guys are pretty early by at least ten, maybe fifteen minutes.”

 

                Dean nodded. “Alright then,” Dean said. “Thank you Helen.”

 

                “No problem hon,” She resumed her previous action. “Would you want me to holler at you when Mr. Walker is here?”

 

                “Yes please Helen, thank you.”

 

                Helen smiled. “No problem.”

 

                For the next seven hours, Dean and Adam had been cooking for the many people that flooded the restaurant. Helen was right, they were crowded that night. Meg didn’t bother to show up and no one had heard from her. Dean figured that she just went to a party and got shitfaced, something that he figured she did almost every other night. There were several accounts when Meg would come to work with thick black shades, proving him right. She was quite irresponsible.

 

                Around eight o’clock, when the rush had died down, and the doors were closed, the boys started to clean every inch of the kitchen that they had used. Dean was in the process of scrubbing down one of the many counters when Helen poked her head into the small kitchen window.

 

                “Dean, hon.” She said.

 

                Dean stopped his actions and turned his head towards the direction of Helen’s voice. “Yeah Helen?”

 

                “Mr. Walker’s here. He’s in the office if you still want to talk to him.”

 

                Dean nodded. “Thanks Helen.” Dean said as he set the rag down on top of the counter.

 

                When Helen disappeared from the window, Adam turned his attention towards Dean. “Talk to Mr. Walker about what?” Adam asked.

 

                Dean stopped, still keeping his face down. “Ugh, just some…personal issues.” Dean rubbed the back of his neck.

 

                Adam nodded. “Alright then, you want me to clean up the rest?”

 

                “Would you?”

 

                “Yeah, it’ll be no big deal.”

 

                “Thanks man,” Dean said before he turned and, keeping his hands up, made his way towards the door that led out of the kitchen.

 

                If Dean remembered correctly, the office was right next to the kitchen. He’d only been there once or twice when he was applying for the job, so it was a little difficult for him to remember.

               

                Dean touched the wall to feel the wooden door of the office. Dean’s heart felt like it was sitting in his throat. He was nervous. Mr. Walker really did hate his guts, and he had no idea why. He only figured that it was because of his disability and the fact that Dean figured that Helen never informed Mr. Walker of the new employee or his condition.

 

                Dean finally swallowed his nervousness and knocked on the door. Almost immediately, Mr. Walker answered from the other side. “Come in,” His voice was deep and slightly intimidating.

 

                Dean placed his hand on the doorknob and turned it, opening the door and walking into the office. “Mr. Walker?”

 

                Mr. Walker turned towards the door. He was a strong looking man, but not as strong or as tall as Dean. He was dark skinned with a wide smile, which he never showed at work. “Ah, Winchester, right?”

 

                Dean nodded. “Yes sir. Can I, um, talk to you about something…important?”

 

                “I’m busy right now.”

 

                “It’ll only take a minute. Please, it’s really important.”

 

                Mr. Walker sighed before rolling his eyes. “Alright Winchester…”

 

                “My name’s Dean.”

               

                “Right, Dean. Why don’t you have a seat?” Mr. Walker gestured towards one of the two chairs that sat in front of the large wooden desk.

 

                Dean swallowed the lump that was in his throat and held his hands out slightly so he could feel in front of him. Luckily, there was nothing separating him between the door and the chairs. He made it to the furniture with ease and slouched down in the comfortable chair.

 

                “So, Winchester, what did you want to talk to me about?” Mr. Walker said as he placed his elbows on the desk and folded his hands, resting his chin on the top of them.

 

                Dean moved his hand back and forth against the arm of the chair to try and get away from the nervousness that was flooding him. “Um, listen, Mr. Walker. I have a favor to ask you.”

 

                “Let’s get on with it Winchester, I have the books to complete still.”

 

                “Right, right. Ugh, is it at all possible that I am able to…I don’t know… get a raise?” The words barely made it out of his mouth.

 

                Mr. Walker sat there and just stared into Dean’s white, cloudy eyes. A small smile of amusement crossed his face, but he wiped it right off once he began to speak. “Why would I give you a raise?”

 

                “Mr. Walker, I’m in desperate need of money. My brother has to pay rent and I need to be able to pay for my things as well.”

 

                “Well, it seems to me, Winchester, that your brother’s financial issue is not my problem.” Dean flinched slightly at the use of his last name

 

                “Please Mr. Walker, he needs the money, _I_ need the money.”

 

                “I’m sorry Dean, but unless you’ve actually done something raise-worthy, then I can’t give you a raise.”

 

                Dean let out a heavy sigh, but nodded relentlessly. “Alright, thanks anyway.” Dean said before he pushed himself off the chair.

 

                Dean began to walk towards the door before Mr. Walker stopped him. “Oh, and Dean,” He said, a small smile playing on his face. “I’m gonna have you come in this weekend to work the breakfast shift. I hope that’s alright with you.”

 

                Dean’s jaw clenched slightly as he kept his head turned towards the door. “Yeah, of course, no problem Mr. Walker.”

 

                Mr. Walker chuckled. “Good, have a nice night.”

 

                “You too.”

 

                With that, Dean left the office. Once he closed the door, he leaned up against it and let his breath out. He ran his hands over his face and sighed.

 

                “Are you alright darling?” Helen asked as she made her way over to Dean.

 

                Dean shook his head. “No, I think I have a headache.”

 

                “Do you need any Motrin?”

 

                Dean shook his head again before standing up to his full height. “No I think I’m going back to the dorm.”

 

                “What about your shift at the bar?”

 

                “I think I’ll skip it tonight, say I was sick or something.” Dean said before he began to walk towards the door of the diner. “Has Adam left?”

 

                “No, I believe he’s waiting in the car for you.”

 

                At least he had a ride back. “Alright thanks Helen. Goodnight.”

 

                “Goodnight Dean, I hope you feel better.”

 

                “Thanks, see you tomorrow.”

 

                “I’ll see you hon.”

 

~*~

                Adam and Dean drove back to the dorm. When they went inside, Dean went down one hallway and Adam went down the other. Dean pressed his left hand against the doors so he could tell the room number. The fourth door down was his room. He took his hand off the numbers and opened the door. Castiel was nice enough to leave it unlocked so Dean didn’t have to fish for his room key. Dean closed the door behind him and immediately heard the tapping of computer keys. Rapid tapping.

 

                “You’re back early.” Castiel said, keeping his eyes plastered to the computer screen.

 

                “And you’re still on the damn computer.”

 

                “I’m actually doing something productive this time.”

 

                “Oh really? What?”

 

                “Typing a report.”

 

                “Well, I’ll be damned.”

 

                Without a response from Castiel, Dean trudged over to his bed and plopped down on it, his head hitting the pillow. Castiel ceased his typing and glanced over at his roommate.

 

                “Have you eaten yet?”

 

                Dean shook his head as he placed his forearm over his eyes. “No,” He huffed.

 

                “I have an extra pie. I mean, it’s packaged, but it is still pie.”

 

                Dean thought about it for a couple of seconds, but the thought of eating just made him nauseous. He shook his head and kicked off his shoes before turning to the side. “No thanks Cas.”

 

                Castiel stared at Dean with wide eyes. “’No’?” He repeated. “You never turn down pie. What’s wrong?”

 

                “Nothing,”

 

                “Come on, you would never ignore pie! It is pecan pie for crying out loud.”

 

                “I said nothing’s wrong Cas.”

 

                “Come on, talk to me.”

 

                “No Castiel!” Dean barely shouted.

 

                Castiel jumped slightly at Dean’s tone of voice. Dean sighed before rubbing his face with his hands. Castiel said nothing more as he went back to typing his paper.

 

                “Look, I’m sorry.” Dean started, which caused Cas to stop typing and glance at Dean out of the corner of his eye. “It’s just that there’s some…problems right now and I feel stressed out.”

 

                “I understand,” Castiel said. “And I understand if you don’t want to talk about it.”

 

                “Thanks Cas.” Dean turned his head slightly.

 

                Castiel just nodded.

 

                Castiel went back to typing up his report while Dean laid his head back on the pillow. He took his blanket and laid it on top of himself and snuggled underneath it. The light tapping sound of the keys on Castiel’s computer echoed through the room. He closed his eyes and attempted to steady his breathing. The tapping slowly lulled him to sleep.

~*~

                Dean awoke to the sound of water running. They must have fixed whatever was wrong with the pipes. He cleared his throat before sitting up in the bed.

 

                “Hey Cas, you in the shower!?”

 

                “Yes!” Castiel yelled back.

 

                “What are you showing so early in the morning for?”

 

                “I’ve got morning classes.”

 

                Dean’s eyes widened. “ _You’re_ going to morning classes?”

 

                “Shut up!”

 

                Dean chuckled, then proceeded to get up and get dressed. Dean had picked out a grey t-shirt and blue jeans, without him knowing of course, and put on his shoes. Castiel had gotten out of the shower, fully dressed in a purple t-shirt with the TARDIS on it as well as black jeans and black and white converse.

 

                “Where are your morning classes anyway?” Dean asked.

 

                “Building C I think.”

 

                “Really? Same.”

 

                “Cool.”

 

                Dean and Castiel had gotten their stuff ready and decided to walk over to the building together. They were walking side by side across the courtyard.

 

                “Hey Castiel,” Dean began.

 

                “Hmm?”

 

                “I wanted to ugh, ask you something…” The thought had been floating around in his mind all night and morning.

 

                “What?”

 

                “Well,” Dean rubbed the back of his neck nervously. He didn’t want to seem so desperate.

 

                “Look, if you’re going to ask me out…” Castiel said, a slight hint of amusement in his tone.

 

                “NO!” Dean immediately reacted. “No, no, absolutely not!”

 

                “Dude, calm down, I know. So, what did you want?”

 

                “Right,” Dean stuttered. “Ugh, do you think that it is, at all possible, for me to borrow some…money?”

 

                “Money?” Castiel asked. “How much are you talking?”

 

                “At least fifty dollars if you have it. I want to be able to send something to my brother for his rent.”

 

                “Is that what last night was about?”

 

                “Mostly. His damn landowner decided it was a good idea for him to pay at the beginning of the month now.”

 

                “That sucks man,” Cas shook his head as he looked down at his feet. “What about his job?”

 

                “Pay isn’t good, he barely makes enough to feed him and his girlfriend.”

 

                “That bad, huh?”

 

                Dean nodded and stopped in his tracks. Castiel stopped as well. He turned so he could face Dean. Many people passed them as they stood there.

 

                “Look, Castiel, if you can’t then you can’t. I was just asking.”

 

                “I never said I couldn’t.” Castiel said, looking at the ground in thought before glancing back up at Dean. “How about seventy-five? Would that work?”

 

                Dean gave a sigh of relief and placed his free hand, that wasn’t supporting his backpack, against his chest. “Thanks man, it means a lot.”

 

                “No problem, I’ll get the money for you by tonight.”

 

                The two of them started to walk again. “I can’t thank you enough.”

               

                Castiel smiled. “It’s no big deal.”

 

                “And I promise that I’ll pay back the money.”

               

                “I don’t care if you pay it back or when for that matter. Take as long as you need.” Castiel smiled as the two of them entered the building.

 

                Dean smirked. “I promise I’ll pay you back when I can.” Cas just rolled his eyes. “I promise.”

 

                “Yeah, alright, I’ll see you back at the dorm…or in the halls…or wherever.”

 

                “Yeah, whatever.” Dean smiled fully before making his way towards his first class.

 

                It felt as if a weight was being lifted off of his shoulders. He owed Castiel for doing what he did. Dean reached the top floor. _50 paces_ , he thought, _50 paces_.

 


	3. From A Different Perspective

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Gabriel Novak was not the normal rich kid. In fact, he was the exact opposite. Gabriel wants to get to know Dean better, without showing his interest. Is he capable of doing so?

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> 3rd installment. Nothing much to say on my part, so, here you go :)

Gabriel Novak was filthy rich. It was as simple as that. The stereotypical rich kid is snobbish, self-centered and all-in-all a total dick, but it’s never right to listen to stereotypes, especially when it comes to someone new. Gabriel was one of those who were the complete opposite of the stereotype. Gabriel didn’t care about how much money he had or about everyone else’s financial status. All he cared about at the moment was getting though college.

Gabriel was never like his three older brothers, who were as selfish as ever. Gabriel was actually looking forward to getting involved in his own career so that he didn’t have to keep mooching off of his father like his siblings. He always thought his father was a dick anyway.

 

                His siblings teased him for him wanting to get a degree, especially a degree in medicine. They would call him Murse Gabriel or Nurse Gabriella and it got on his last nerve, but he never really did anything about it. He would just roll his eyes and walk out of the room or hang up the phone.

 

                Gabriel wasn’t as popular as the other guys on campus. He was really popular with his classmates from his chemistry class though, when they need the answers to the homework from the night before. Other than that, no one really tried to strike up a conversation with him other than women who were trying to get to his man parts. He always pushed them away though. He wasn’t interested in woman.

 

                Gabriel was gay, he wouldn’t deny that. He figured it out when he was making out with a girl in high school and, nothing happened. He didn’t get in the mood to do anything with her and she left in a disappointed and angry huff. That action was what earned him the nickname ‘lady killer’. At first, his face would get red whenever someone actually called him that, but after a year of it, he slowly brushed the name off and accepted it.

 

                The name calling ended once he got out of that damn school and went off to college in a completely different state. But after a little act that happened the fourth week into his first year of school, rumors had been going around that he was a homosexual, and just because he denied a girl some ‘fun’ time. He wouldn’t confirm nor deny that he was gay to anyone, and that rumor caused his relationship with people to deplete.

 

                That guy the other day, what was his name? Oh yeah, Dean Winchester. He was the only one who actually held a conversation with Gabriel in the four years he had been in the school. He wasn’t that bad looking either. Gabriel got this feeling at the bottom of his stomach when he talked to him.

 

                Gabriel drank in his dirty blonde, spiky hair and the, what seemed like, thousands of freckles that littered his face and his arms. Gabriel felt like he was going to melt right there on the spot.

 

                When he picked Dean up from off the floor, it was just like sparks flew between the two. He thought Dean was adorable and he wanted to see him again, maybe have the courage to ask him out. What if Dean wasn’t gay though? Would he tell everyone and would the teasing get worse, or maybe become violent. He was weighing his options, and decided that he wanted to see Dean again.

 

                Well, he did, and it wasn’t his fault that he overheard Dean and some other guy talking. From what he heard, the other guy’s name was Cas, or Castiel, and Dean was dealing with some financial troubles. Part of him felt guilty for hearing them, but he couldn’t help it, he was just walking by to his first class of the day. Another part of him genuinely felt bad for Dean and wished he would have been able to do something to help, without making is seem awkward of course. How strange would it be if someone, who you only met once, went up and offered money to you because they overheard your troubles?

 

                When he got inside the building, Gabriel went down his own hallway to his own class, everyone avoiding eye contact with him and him doing the same thing. He already knew that it was going to be a long day.

 

                Gabriel made it into the busy classroom and took his usual seat in the middle of the classroom. People were being extremely loud when it came to talking, some people trying their best to drown out the others. Gabriel rolled his eyes and pulled out the packet of homework that he had the night before.

 

                Immediately after he placed it on his desk, he felt someone pushing against him. Gabriel groaned as he heard the familiar annoying laugh.

 

                “Aw, come on Gabriela,” The man said as he pushed Gabriel’s shoulder.

 

                “What do you want Seth?” Gabriel sighed, placing his cheek in the palm of his right hand.

 

                Seth looked down at the stack of papers that Gabriel had grasped in his left hand. “I see you’ve completed the homework.”

 

                “No,” Gabriel said flatly.

 

                “Aw, come on bro, we’re friends, right?”

 

                “You’ve never talked to me except to get my homework!” Gabriel semi-shouted, moving his hands around as he spoke. “So, no, we’re not friends.”

 

                Seth scoffed at Gabriel before grabbing all of his materials and standing. “Queer,” He said as he turned and walked away.

 

                Gabriel perked his head up and watched as Seth retreated. Gabriel growled and crossed his arms out in front of his chest. The bell rang and everyone took a seat. The professor appeared in the room and began the lecture.

 

                Gabriel couldn’t help but think of the name that Seth called him; queer. He shook his head lightly. He couldn’t imagine someone being called such a derogatory term, or someone having the urge to call someone that. Some people just think that it’s okay to judge people for their sexual orientation or gender. He guessed that was just how life goes.

 

                The first half of the day went through with ease. No one talked to him, no one pestered him, and no one called him any more hurtful terms. By lunch, his stomach was calling for him to feed it. He had skipped breakfast and planned on eating as much as he could so he didn’t have to stop doing his homework to eat supper.

 

                He had chicken and waffles for lunch. He loved how the college served breakfast for lunch and even dinner. He ate by himself, like he did every day. Sadly, Gabriel was used to it by then, so it didn’t really bother him when people shunned him out. He honestly loved the quiet atmosphere that surrounded him when he ate. It was peaceful.

 

                He left the cafeteria early and made his way towards the men’s dorm. He had his hands in his pockets and his head was down, eyes concentrating on the way his shoes moved. It was quiet outside. Everyone must have been in class, in the cafeteria, or in their dorms. Gabriel wasn’t going to go to his afternoon classes. He just wasn’t in the mood.

 

                “Dammit Adam, where are you?” Gabriel heard from in front of him.

 

                Gabriel halted and glanced up to see Dean Winchester standing at the edge of the sidewalk, phone held up to his ear. Gabriel stared at Dean for a while before he started moving again, placing one foot slowly in front of the other.

 

                “Well then, how the hell am I supposed to get to work?” Dean asked, flailing his arms in a dramatic way. Pause. “I don’t have Meg’s number, and I highly doubt she’d answer if it was me anyway.” Pause. “Whatever man, I’ll figure something out. I hope you feel better.” Pause. “Alright man, talk to you later.”

 

                With that, Dean hung up the phone. Gabriel rubbed the back of his head, but cleared his throat and began to stride with confidence over to Dean.

 

                “Hey man,” Gabriel said as he got closer to the Winchester. “Dean, right?”

 

                Dean turned around to face Gabriel so that he was able to see Dean’s milky white eyes. Gabriel couldn’t help but stare into those eyes, not out of disgust, but out of remorse.

 

                “Yeah, who’s asking?” Dean asked with a quirked brow.

 

                “Ugh, it’s Gabriel. I helped you out with those dick bags that one morning before class?”

 

                The realization showed on Dean’s face. “Right,” Dean smirked slightly. “How are you doing?”

 

                “I’m doing well, what about you?”

 

                “Fine, I guess.”

 

                “What’s wrong?” Gabriel asked as he cocked his head slightly.

 

                “Oh, just, Adam Milligan usually drives me to work but, he’s sick. So, right now I have to find a way to get to work.” Dean groaned as he ran his fingers through his hair.

 

                “That sucks,” Gabriel said as he looked away, at the ground, and bit his lip. “Well, if you need a ride, I could possibly drive you, if you want.”

 

                “You don’t have to.” Dean said. “Don’t you have afternoon classes?”

 

                “I _do_.” Gabriel said, “But I was planning to skip them anyway. I have a huge ass essay that’s due in my first hour tomorrow.”

 

                “What class?”

 

                “Chemistry. I have to write it on the evolution of medication.”

 

                “Interesting.” Dean said, pushing out his bottom lip.

 

                “Yeah,” Gabriel chuckled slightly. “So, are you accepting the offer or…?”

 

                Dean thought for a second, moving his mouth as he considered. He then sighed and shrugged his shoulders. “Alright then. As long as you’re okay with this, then I’m down.”

 

                “Okay man,” Gabriel said as he dug his car keys out of his pocket. He always kept them on him, right next to his wallet, just in case of emergencies. “It’s right this way,”

 

                Gabriel walked over to Dean and hesitated before placing a hand on the tall man’s back. Gabriel didn’t notice the small pink tinge that covered Dean’s freckled cheeks as he led him into the middle of the parking lot. Gabriel glanced around until he caught glimpse of his navy blue 2009 Ford Focus at the end of the parking lot.

 

                He put more pressure on Dean’s back as he led him to the vehicle. Once they got to the car, Gabriel opened up the passenger’s side door for Dean. As Dean climbed in, he muttered a ‘thanks’ under his breath. Gabriel shut the door behind Dean and let out a breath of air that he hadn’t realized he was holding in. Gabriel shook his head.

 

                “Get it together,” He told himself as he walked over to the driver’s side of the door.

 

                Gabriel stopped for a second to watch Dean through the closed window. Dean was slightly moving his hands up and down against the leather seat. Gabriel swallowed the lump that was in his throat and finally opened up the door, sitting down in the seat. Dean was looking at Gabriel, or at least it seemed. His white pupils were staring into Gabriel’s whiskey ones. After a while of staring, Dean cleared his throat, causing Gabriel to blink.

 

                “Gabriel?” Dean asked.

               

                “Uh, yeah?” Gabriel turned away from the blind man as he stuck the key into the ignition and started the car.

 

                “Something wrong?”

 

                Gabriel shook his head. “No, it’s just, uh…” _Your white eyes are gorgeous_. “Nothing.”

 

                “Okay,” Dean said as he placed his hands on top of his jean covered knees.

 

                Gabriel nodded slightly as he backed up out of the parking spot and drove out of the parking lot and out of the University.

 

                “Where do you work?” Gabriel asked, keeping his eyes on the freshly paved road.

 

                “Chris and Kate’s.” Dean responded. “The diner.”

 

                “Oh yeah. I’ve been meaning to go there.” Gabriel said as he made a turn. “If you don’t mind me asking…” He started. “What do you do there?”

 

                “I cook the food, along with Adam Milligan and Meg Masters.”

 

                “You _cook_?” Gabriel quirked a brow as a smirk appeared on his face.

 

                “Yeah…?” Dean said, quirking his brow. He had a tone of uncertainty.

 

                “You any good, or is it just talk?”

 

                Dean rubbed the back of his neck. “Well, people keep coming back, so…” Dean bit his lip. “I guess I’m good.”

 

                Gabriel let out a short laugh. “Well hell. Now I _have_ to eat there.”

 

                Gabriel didn’t miss the small smile that Dean had at the corner of his mouth, nor the pink tinge that appeared across his freckle covered cheeks. The rest of the car ride, which was about three to five minutes, was silent aside from the music that was quietly playing through the speakers.

 

                Once they got to the diner, Gabriel pulled into the parking lot and chose the first parking spot that was the closest to the door. Gabriel noticed three other cars that were in the parking lot and figured they were people that worked with Dean. Gabriel shut off the car and turned towards Dean.

 

                “We’re here.” He said as he glanced back up at the small diner.

 

                Dean smiled. “Alright man, thanks for the lift.” He said as he opened up the car door and got out of the car.

 

Gabriel bit his lip as Dean shut the door. He drummed his thumbs on the steering wheel before opening his own door and getting out of the car as well. Dean turned around slightly, stopping in his tracks.

 

“What are you doing?” Dean asked.

 

“I ugh,” Gabriel stuttered as he rubbed the back of his neck. “Wanted to make sure that you made it in alright.”

 

“What, you think I’m incapable?” Dean asked in a defensive tone.

 

“No!” Gabriel pushed his hands up. “No, of course not I just wanted to make sure.”

 

“Just because I’m blind, doesn’t mean I can’t do things for myself.”

 

“Dean, I never…”

 

A loud crash was heard from the inside of the diner, causing Dean and Gabriel’s heads to whip towards the direction of the building.

 

“What the hell was that?” Gabriel asked as he watched Dean rush over to the door.

 

Gabriel rushed over after him and both of the men ran into the building.

 

 


	4. "I'm A Failure Sammy"

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> If Dean didn't already have a stressful life, he sure was going to after the events of what happened that day. Gabriel finally understands what Dean has to go through in order to keep money going.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Yay, chapter 4! This story is getting a lot more feedback than I ever even imagined! I'm glad you all like it :)

Gabriel and Dean both ran into the diner, stopping when they got inside. There was glass on the floor and three people were seeming to be in some sort of dispute. There was an older, darker gentleman standing tall with his fists clenched tightly. Then there were two women sitting near the floor, the younger one caressing the older one. Gabriel rushed over to the women.

“What’s going on here?” Dean asked, his tone strong.

 

                Everyone was now looking towards Dean, who stood as tall as the other man. The other man had a smirk on his face.

 

                “Oh, look, it’s the man of the hour. Mr. Winchester.” The other man said.

 

                “Mr. Walker? What the hell is going on here? We heard…”

 

                “He’s drunk.” The younger woman said as she helped Gabriel lift the older woman up.

 

                Gabriel glanced down at the woman and saw the small amount of blood that was covering her knees. Gabriel placed his hands against the woman’s shoulders and looked into her fear filled, old eyes. She pressed a hand against Gabriel’s cheek. ‘I’m okay,’ she mouthed.

 

                “What do you mean?” Dean asked in a questioning tone, turning his attention to the girl.

 

                “Mr. Walker is drunk. He came in and just started shouting at Helen.” She replied. “He got violent Dean.”

 

                A shocked look crossed Dean’s face, which was soon replaced by one of anger. “What the hell do you mean ‘He got violent’?” Dean asked as he turned his head slightly to the right, in the direction of Mr. Walker. “You better answer right now Gordon, or so help me I’ll…”

 

                “You’ll what?” Gordon laughed. “You’re a worthless, blind lowlife who has nothing better to do than damage other people’s reputation.” Gabriel noticed how wobbly Gordon was. He also noticed how his eyes were glassed over from the intoxication. “I never wanted you here. Never wanted to hire you. Hell, I’ve never even heard about you before I came in at the end of the month. And that bitch went behind my back,” He pointed to Helen, who was still close to Gabriel.

 

                “Don’t talk about her like that, you asshole.” The other woman said.

 

                “Oh, shut up Meg.” Gordon groaned. “I never liked you neither. In fact, I hate all of you. The only person that I actually enjoyed was Helen. But then I lost all fucking respect for her when she hired that damn white eyed motherfucker.” He turned towards Dean. “You have no idea how ugly your eyes are, do you? Oh, of course, you can’t even see them.”

 

                “That’s enough!” Gabriel practically yelled.

 

                “Hell no, that’s not enough!” Gordon yelled back. “Do you have any idea what would have happened if people found out that I let a blind boy work for me. I could have lost this damn place! I would have been reported!” Gordon wobbled and leaned up against the counter, which had some pieces of broken glass spread around it. “So, you know what? You’re all fired.”

 

                Meg’s eyes grew wide as she gaped. “Fired? For what? Just because things didn’t go the way you fucking wanted, that doesn’t mean you can just fire us!”

 

                “Yes I can, and you know it.” Gordon dry heaved. Once he stopped, he stood up and stared at all of them. “You’re all fired. You,” He pointed to Meg. “You.” He pointed to Helen. “And you, Mr. Winchester. Tell that Milligan kid that he’s out of a job as well.”

 

                The five of them stood there in silence, just taking in all the information that was given to them. Gabriel shook his head after a while before he put pressure on her shoulder.

 

                “Come on,” He said in a gentle tone.

 

                “I got her,” Meg said as she took Gabriel’s place and helped Helen out of the trashed diner.

 

                Gabriel nodded before he walked over to Dean. He placed his hand on his shoulder and gently began to pull the tall man towards the front door.

 

                “Come on man,” Gabriel said.

 

                Dean continued to stare in Gordon’s general direction before he growled under his breath and turned around. He shrugged off Gabriel’s hand roughly. Gabriel stood there for a second, watching as Dean found his way to the door and slammed it open before leaving. Gabriel swallowed the lump that had formed in his throat before following, not bothering to look back at Gordon.

 

                Everyone was outside. Dean was with Meg and Helen, so Gabriel walked over to join them.

 

                “Are you alright Helen?” Dean asked in a soothing voice as he placed his hands on her shoulders.

 

                She flinched slightly causing Dean to retract his hands from her. Helen let out a small, almost hurtful chuckle.

 

                “Yes, darling, I’m alright.” She said as she brought her hand up to his face, caressing it slightly.

 

                Her arm was cut in several places, not too deep though. The blood seemed to have stopped falling from the cuts. Gabriel saw as Meg placed her hands on Helen’s shoulders, turning her so that she could look into her eyes.

 

                “Helen, I’m gonna take you to the hospital, okay?” She said.

 

                “I said I’m fine.”

 

                “Helen, please. Let me just take you.”

 

                Helen sighed as she turned so that almost her entire back was facing Gabriel and Dean. “Alright, but I’m gonna drive myself.” She said.

 

                Meg smiled and chuckled. “I don’t think so Helen.” Meg said. Helen’s shoulders slumped as she gave Meg a warm smile as she nodded.

 

                Helen turned around, facing the two men. “Why don’t you go home Dean? Get some homework done or something.” She told Dean, keeping the smile on her chapped lips.

 

                Dean nodded. “Alright.” He said, shifting uncomfortably in his spot.

 

                Helen smiled and patted Dean on his cheek before she turned back to Meg. Meg placed her arm around Helen’s shoulder lightly as she began to lead her to her car. Dean stepped forward.

 

                “Hey Meg.” Dean said, causing Meg to stop and turn to face him. “Can you, ugh,” Dean rubbed the back of his neck nervously. “Let me know if she’s okay? Somehow?”

 

                “I don’t have your number.” She replied.

 

                Dean dug out his phone from his pocket. He handed it to Meg. “I don’t know my number, so, can you put yours in? Maybe send a text to your phone so you have my number?”

 

                Meg nodded, taking her arms off of Helen and grabbing Dean’s phone. In less than a minute, she placed the phone back in Dean’s hand.

 

                “I’ll let you know when I do.” She said before she turned back to Helen.

 

                “Thanks,” Dean mumbled as he placed his phone back into his jean pocket after a few tries.

 

                Gabriel watched as Meg and Helen got into a newer silver car and drove away. Dean was just standing there, staring in the distance. Gabriel attempted to swallow the large lump that was present in his throat, but it was to no avail. It was still there.

 

                “Dean,” Gabriel said, his voice slightly hoarse.

 

                “Let’s just go back.” Dean said.

 

                Gabriel’s shoulders slumped as he nodded. He placed his hand on Dean’s back and turned them away from the diner and to the car. Dean climbed into the passenger’s side and Gabriel got in the driver’s side. The car started and the two men pulled out of the parking lot and made their way to the University.

 

                The radio was off, the only sound being the humming of the car as they drove. Gabriel couldn’t help but turn his head to look at Dean every once in a while, and each time he noticed the saddened expression that Dean didn’t seem to try to hide.

 

                Gabriel sighed as he turned into the parking lot right in front of the men’s dorm. He parked in the same parking spot that he was in before they departed.

 

                Dean didn’t even wait for Gabriel to turn off the engine before he jumped out of the car. If there was a car that was parked next to them, Dean would have definitely hit it for sure.

 

                Gabriel quickly turned off the car, put the keys in his pocket, and got out of the car. He ran behind Dean, who was storming up to the dorm, fists balled at his sides.

 

                “Dean!” Gabriel called, but he was ignored. “Come on Dean, listen to me.”

 

                Finally, Dean stopped and turned around. “Can you just stop? Okay!?” He said.

 

                Before Gabriel had time to respond, Dean turned around rapidly. Taking one step forward, Dean’s foot caught on the curb and he fell forward, catching himself on his hands and knees. Gabriel rushed over to him.

 

                As if right on cue, fits of laughter was heard right in front of Gabriel and Dean. Gabriel looked up and scowled at the group of four men that were walking by.

 

                “Hey white eyes!” The tallest one shouted.

 

                “Didn’t see that curb there, did you?” Another one said. “Cause I sure as hell did.”

 

                Gabriel balled up his fists as he stormed over to the group. “Do you guys seriously have nothing better to do?” Gabriel said as he stopped and crossed his arms over his chest.

 

                “Ooh,” They all looked at each other before laughing.

 

                “It’s lady-killer.” One of them, the tallest, stepped forward. “Standing up for your boyfriend, you queer?”

 

                “He’s not my boyfriend,” Gabriel said. “And say I am gay. What the hell are you going to do about it? What the fuck does my sexual orientation have to do with who I am?”

 

                The man that was in front of Gabriel had wide eyes. He started laughing as he stumbled backwards. “Oh,” He was caught by the other men. “Do you hear that?” He started to pat the other men on the shoulders or chests. “Little rich boy here likes dick.”

 

                Gabriel glared at him. The man finally moved closer to Gabriel until her was in his face. He then wrapped his arm around Gabriel’s shoulders.

 

                “Tell me,” The man cleared his throat. “Do you take it in the ass, or…?”

 

                The other men laughed as the tallest one backed away from Gabriel, laughing with his friends. Gabriel growled as he sighed heavily, attempting to calm himself down.

 

                “Just walk away.” Gabriel said. “Just leave us the hell alone.”

 

                The laughing died down. The tallest man walked back over. “Alright lady-killer.” He said as he rubbed the top of Gabriel’s head, messing up his hair. Gabriel swatted his hand away. “We’ll leave you alone little homo. We’re not gonna be the only ones to hear about this, however.” Then the four men turned around, laughing to themselves as they walked away and out of sight.

 

                Gabriel sighed as he placed his hands back at his sides. He then turned around and glanced at Dean. He was sitting on his rear, his face buried in his knees. Gabriel frowned as he walked over to Dean. He knelt beside him and placed his hand on Dean’s shoulder. Dean jerked his shoulder away with a growl, causing Gabriel to pull his hand back. Dean’s face softened as he sighed lightly. He placed his cheek against his knees.

 

                “I’m sorry Gabriel.” He said in a soft tone. “You shouldn’t have driven me to work.” He sighed. “I shouldn’t have even gone to work today.”

 

                Gabriel bit his lip, glanced away, and then looked back at Dean. “He seemed like a dick.” He said, “Your boss. Coming in drunk and then hurting that woman,”

 

                “Helen.”

 

                “Right. Someone should set him straight.”

 

                “That would only make it worse.” Dean said as he put his legs down on the ground and crossed them. “And what would I be able to do? Like Gordon said, I can’t do anything.”

 

                “You shouldn’t listen to him, or other people.” Gabriel said as he sat down next to Dean. “They just like to make fun of people that they think are weaker than them. But people with physical problems, whether it’s a blindness or deafness or being paraplegic, that doesn’t really make a difference. You are just the same as those assholes who made fun of us.” Dean turned his head towards Gabriel. “Just the same as other people.”

 

                Dean couldn’t help the smile that slowly crept onto his full, chapped lips. Gabriel’s face lightened up at the action. Dean brought his legs closer to him, crossing them right in front of him, and leaning over them. Gabriel and Dean both glanced towards the ground, awkwardly sitting there. Dean rubbed the back of his neck and bit the corner of his lip.

 

                Gabriel opened his mouth, but stopped and stood instead. “Well,” He said as he brushed himself off. He reached down and grasped Dean by his forearm and helped him up. Dean wiped himself off as well. “Are you going to class, or…?”

 

                Dean shook his head. “Nah, I think I’m going to go to my dorm room.” Dean said, turning his head away from Gabriel. “Afternoon classes aren’t that important anyway.” He mumbled.

 

                “Yeah,” Gabriel said, almost silently. Gabriel looked around, then back into Dean’s white, milky eyes. “Do you, need help getting back to your dorm?”

 

                Dean rubbed his hands together in front of him nervously. He moved his head around before turning back toward Gabriel. “Ugh, yeah, if you don’t mind.”

 

                “Alright,” Gabriel said as he walked next Dean, placing his hand against the small of the man’s back and slowly leading him to the front door of the men’s dorm.

 

                Gabriel couldn’t see the light pink tinge that crossed over Dean’s freckled face, and he was glad that Dean couldn’t see his own blush.

 

                They walked into the building. Gabriel took his hand off of Dean’s back and stood more in front of him.

 

                “Do you know what number your room is?” Gabriel asked.

 

                Dean shook his head. “No, I just know that it’s three doors down,” He said, pointing to his left.

 

                Gabriel couldn’t help the smile that came upon his face. “Alright,” He said as he placed his hands back on Dean’s back and led him to the third door on the left.

 

                Room number 27.

 

                “27 sound right?” He asked.

 

                “I guess,” Dean said as he brought his hand up to the door. Gabriel watched as Dean’s hand moved up the wooden door and to the silver numbers that were carved into the door, like those in a hotel. “Yeah, this is it.”

 

                “Great.” Gabriel said.

 

                Dean turned around so that he was facing Gabriel. He swallowed the lump that was in his throat. “Hey, thanks for taking me to work and…everything.” Dean said as he placed the top of his hands inside his jean pockets.

 

                “It was no big deal.” Gabriel shrugged.

 

                Dean nodded and shifted on his feet and bit his lip. “Well, thanks…”

               

                “Hey,” Gabriel interrupted. “Why don’t I give you my number and you can…I don’t know,” Gabriel looked at the ground, rubbing the back of his neck nervously. “Call me, or something if you need something? Help with homework, anything.”

 

                Dean’s heart was racing, the lump in his throat growing, making it almost impossible for him to breath. He opened his mouth, stuttering, no words coming out of his mouth. Finally, he cleared his throat, placing his hands at his sides.

 

                “Yeah, sure,” He said as he dug his phone out of his pocket.

 

                Gabriel grabbed the phone from Dean’s hand, their fingers barely brushing against each other, but it was enough for Gabriel’s face to become heated and his heart rate to rise. He went into the contacts and added his phone number. He then sent a text to his number. When he felt the familiar buzz of his phone in his pocket, he placed the phone back in Dean’s hand. Dean smiled.

 

                “Thanks.” Dean smirked slightly.

 

                “And, hey, maybe I’ll call you if I need something. I _did_ help you earlier this week as well.” Gabriel said.

 

                Dean smiled. “You did.” He shrugged. “I do owe you, don’t I?”

 

                Gabriel smiled and laughed lightly. “Well, I gotta go start that paper.” He said.

 

                “Oh yeah, good luck with that,” Dean said as he partially turned his body half-way towards his door.

 

                “Thanks, and have fun with your afternoon off.” Gabriel said with a slightly uneven tone, not sure if it would affect Dean in any way.

 

                Dean chuckled. “Yeah, I will.” He waved behind him. “See you later.”

 

                Gabriel waved back. “See you later.”

 

                Dean heard the footsteps retreat to the other end of the men’s dorm and vanish. He sighed before he trudged into his room, tired. He dragged his feet against the carpet, to make sure that he wasn’t going to trip on anything, and collapsed on his bed, kicking his shoes off in the process. He sighed as he reached into his pocket and pulled out his cell phone. He found the power button, turned it on, and clicked on another button. Once he heard a small noise come from the phone, he brought it up closer to his face.

 

                “Call Sammy,” He said, taking the device away.

 

                _Calling Sammy_

 

                Dean then heard the familiar ringing from the phone. He pressed it up against his ear hesitantly. It only took a couple seconds before Sam picked up.

 

                “Hey Dean,” Sam said, a slightly cheerful tone in his voice.

 

                “Hey Sammy,” Dean’s voice wasn’t so cheerful.

 

                “What’s up?” There was silence for a little bit. “Dean?”

 

                “Yeah, I’m here, ugh.” Dean couldn’t seem to form the words. It seemed to hurt him too much. He was ashamed. “Listen, I can’t send you money this month.”

 

                “What? Why?” Sam asked, a slight hint of worry in his tone.

 

                “I…” Dean sighed. “I just can’t Sam, okay?”

 

                “What happened?” Sam asked.

 

                Dean stayed silent, laying his head against the pillow.

 

                “Come on Dean, you can tell me. I’m your brother.”

 

                More silence.

 

                “Please…?”

 

                Dean shrugged. “I mean, what is there to tell?” Dean let out a small, saddened laugh. “I got fired.”

 

                “What?”

 

                Dean nodded, burying his face in the crease of his right elbow. His lip began to quiver, but he tried his best to keep his tone steady. He inhaled sharply.

 

                “I lost my job.”

 

                “Why?”

 

                “My boss came into the diner drunk. He apparently hurt one of my coworkers and he just fired all of us.”

 

                “What the hell? Are they alright?”

 

                “Yeah, I think so.”

 

                Dean heard Sam sigh on the other end of the phone. “Are you okay? Physically?”

 

                “Yeah.”

 

                “What about mentally?”

 

                “Sam, I don’t need a fucking therapist right now.” Dean said.

 

                “Sorry,”

 

                “No big deal.” Dean said.

 

                “It is a big deal Dean. That asshole shouldn’t have done what he had done, and for what? Because he has a drinking problem?”

 

                “Sam…”

 

                “No, Dean, that’s fucking stupid. I mean, just because he has something wrong with him, doesn’t mean he should take it out on you guys.”

 

                “That’s enough Sam.” Dean said with a shaky growl.

 

                Sam stopped talking. There was a quiet moment between the two brothers.

 

                “Are you okay?” Sam asked.

 

                “Yeah.”

 

                “Do you need anything?”

 

                Dean shook his head. “No, I just thought that I would tell you that I wouldn’t be able to send the money unless a miracle happens.”

 

                “Alright Dean, it’s no big deal.” He said.

 

                “I’m sorry Sammy.”

 

                “Stop it Dean,”

 

                “I’m sorry Sam.”

               

                “I’ll talk to you later Dean.”

 

                “I’m sorry Sam.”

 

                “Bye.”

 

                With that, the phone call ended. Dean took the phone away from his ear and stayed still for a second before throwing his phone to the other side of the room. It banged against the wall. Dean sighed and sat there, attempting to keep his lip from quivering.

 

                “I’m sorry Sam,” He said to himself. “Goddammit. I can’t even have enough money to give to my little brother, let alone myself. I’m such a failure.” He said through clenched teeth. He let out a small sob.

 

                “I’m sorry.”


	5. It'll Get Better

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Dean tells Castiel everything about what happened with Gordon, Meg, Helen, and Gabriel. Two days later, Gabriel gives Dean some news that could change his current situation.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Yay, here is another part. Nothing too big, just a simple chapter that leads to the climax later on. *Any and all mistakes are mine. I would like to apologize in advance. *

Dean was still in his bed, eyes open. It felt like an eternity since he moved. Everything felt numb around him from the lack of movement. It was probably a couple of hours. Two or three maybe.

Dean was unsure on which direction his face was facing; the pillow on his bed, or the ceiling. To find out, he reached his hand behind him and felt the back of his head.

 

                He sighed as he let his left arm drape off the side of the bed and the other fall down at his side. The humming of the electricity running through the air filled his ears as he stayed completely still.

 

                When the door to the room opened, he paid it no mind. He figured it was Castiel. When the door closed, he didn’t hear any other movement.

 

                “Dean?”

 

                He was right.

 

                Dean lifted up his head and turned so that it was facing the door. He then placed it back on the pillow, shifting his body so that he was holding himself up on his right elbow. “Oh, hey Cas.” He said.

 

                Castiel began to move towards his own bed, setting his backpack down on his own twin-sized bed, all the while keeping his eyes on Dean. They were filled with confusion. “What’re you doing here? Don’t you have to work?”

 

                Dean kept quiet, his eyes facing the ground. He opened his mouth to answer, but he was interrupted by the sound of his phone. Dean sighed. “Can you grab that?” He asked.

 

                Castiel looked around, trying to find Dean’s phone. He found it on the floor in the corner of the room. He squinted as he went to grab the phone. “Why is it all the way over here?” He asked as he picked the phone up. He glanced at the screen which had several cracks on it, almost so the Caller I.D was barely able to be seen. “Dude, what the hell did you do to your phone?” He asked as he walked over to Dean.

 

                “Threw it up against the wall…” Dean said as Castiel answered the phone before handing it to Dean.

 

                “I answered it.” He said.

 

                Dean nodded before placing it up against his ear. “Hello?” He said.

 

                “Hey white eyes.” The female voice on the other end said.

 

                Dean groaned and rolled his eyes. “Hey Meg.” He said.

 

                “You told me to call you when I find out something about Helen’s condition.”

 

                Dean sat up, swinging his legs over the side of the bed. “How is she?”

 

                “She’s alright. I’m surprised that she wasn’t in complete shock. I sure as hell was, still am.” Meg said with a small chuckle. “Her arms and some of her legs were all covered in broken glass. Some of the pieces were deeper than others, and they were very small, so it was difficult for them to get the deeper ones out. They said that she was lucky that one of the pieces didn’t cut her artery.” Meg sighed.

 

                Dean sighed as well as his eyes shifted to look at the ground. He bit his lip lightly before speaking again. “Thanks for letting me know Meg. I appreciate it.”

 

                Meg chuckled. “Any time playboy.” She said. “I’ll talk to you later.”

 

                “Talk to you later.” Dean replied.

 

                The call ended. Castiel was still standing next to Dean’s bed as he attempted to listen in on the conversation, but it was all to no avail. He made his way over to his bed just as Dean placed the broken phone into his jean pocket. Castiel sat on the bed.

 

                “What was that about?” Castiel asked.

 

                Dean rubbed his hands over his face, placing his elbows on his knees. “One of my coworkers, Helen, got hurt at work today. Meg took her to the hospital.”

 

                “Oh my God, is she okay?” Castiel said with concern in his voice.

 

                Dean nodded. “Yeah. She had glass all over in her arms and in her legs. The doctors said that she was lucky that the glass didn’t break an artery.”

 

                “How did it happen? Did she trip and break some cups or…what?”

 

                Dean shook his head. “No,” He said, folding his hands together. “My boss, you know, Mister…” He stopped himself. “Gordon?” Castiel whispered a ‘yeah’. “Well, he came in drunk and, got very violent.” Castiel straightened up in his position. “See, I wasn’t able to see anything, so I didn’t know the extent of it but,” Dean nodded. “Gordon sounded drunk and Helen sounded hurt. I heard the damn glass cracking as Gabriel, Helen and Meg walked over it.”

 

                “Gabriel?” Castiel asked.

 

                Dean nodded. “Yeah, Adam’s sick, so he offered to drive me to work.” He said.

 

                Castiel inhaled sharply and let it out in a steady breath. “Have you…” He bit his lip.

 

                “Have I…what?” Dean asked.

 

                Castiel shook his head. “Never mind.” He said.

 

                “No, what?” Dean urged.

 

                Castiel just shook his head again. “No, never mind. Look, I’m sorry about you losing your job at the diner. What about your shift at the bar? Are you going tonight?”

 

                Dean thought about it before shaking his head. “No,” He said. “I don’t think I’ll go.”

 

                “You missed your shift last night, didn’t you? I don’t think it’s smart to miss more than one day.” Castiel said.

 

                “That isn’t my main job anyway,” Dean said as he laid back on the bed once more. “If they need me, they’ll call me.”

 

                Castiel sighed. “I’d recommend going tomorrow if I was you.” He said.

 

                Dean nodded. “I plan on it. I also plan on going to my shift at the library on Saturday and Sunday.”

 

                “The library isn’t open on Sundays.”

 

                “I usually go there so I can clean and maybe put some books up that people were too lazy to put up themselves or clean up on Saturday.” Dean said, his eyes focused on the ceiling. “There isn’t much pay in either of the jobs, but it’s something, at least.”

 

                “Yeah.”

 

                Dean swallowed and exhaled deeply. “I’m going to get some sleep.” Dean said. “Just so I can be up in the morning for classes.”

 

                “Alright, I’ll try to keep it down.” Castiel said. He bit his lip. “Don’t worry, it’ll get better.”

 

                “I sure hope you’re right Cas. I hope it does get better.”

 

* * *

 

_2 days later_

 

                The next two days had their high ends and low ends for Dean. Sadly, they were mostly low ends. There were rumors that were going around about him and Gabriel becoming a couple. Some of the comments seemed innocent enough while others seemed to be quite explicit, people spreading things about what they would do in the bedroom, even though they weren’t remotely close to being together, and he got a feeling that everyone was aware of that.

 

                He didn’t talk to Gabriel for the past two days, informally, that is. Gabriel called Dean once to ask about help on homework, as did Dean. That was all they talked about though. Gabriel nor Dean talked about the rumors that they had overheard people say. They seemed to avoid the situation altogether. But they were on good terms, and it was alright with both of them.

 

                Dean had gone to his shift at the bar the night before and there was something that he realized; he wasn’t getting good tips.

 

                Of course, he figured that none of the cooking staff was going to get any good tips. Most of them probably went to the waitresses and bartenders. He was told about the tight, revealing clothing that the girls wore. Shirts barely covering their chests, shorts that barely covered their ass; the place was like a wannabe Hooters. It didn’t bother him though. The four other guys that worked in the kitchen with Dean made him feel welcome and that was all that he wanted.

 

                It was Friday, 7:30 in the morning. Dean and Castiel were getting ready for their morning classes, which started at 9:00. They figured that, if they had time, they would go to the cafeteria and grab some breakfast.

               

                Dean was changing in the main area of their room while Castiel changed in the bathroom. Dean had put on a black AC/DC shirt with another pair of jeans, these ones darker and ripped along the knees. Barely. When Castiel came out of the bathroom, he was wearing a black t-shirt with 221B in large, fancy font with blue skinny jeans and black converse.

 

                The two roommates both went to the cafeteria with their backpacks, paid the toll to eat, then got their food. Castiel had helped Dean grab his food, which he was completely thankful for. They both sat down at a table by themselves. Castiel had gotten chicken and waffles while Dean got over-easy eggs with bacon and sausage. They both got coffee.

 

                They draped their backpacks over the backs of their chairs and proceeded to eat. For a while, maybe about one or two minutes, the two were silent.

 

                “So, how are you doing in your classes so far? It _is_ the beginning of the school year. Have you crashed and burned yet?” Castiel asked with a small smile on his face.

 

                Dean smirked. “Thank God, no. I mean, at least I don’t think. I would think that I’m passing if the professors didn’t have a reason to figure out my name.”

 

                Castiel almost choked when he let out his laugh. He cleared his throat to get the food out of it. “The professors don’t even know your name?” He asked with an amused tone.

 

                Dean shook his head. “Nope, not at all.” He said. “They usually just pat me on the shoulder and tell me to do something. I mean they never call on me in class. I’m guessing it’s because I’m doing well?”

                “Aw, man.” Castiel groaned as he took a bite out of one of his waffles. “You are so lucky. All of my professors know my name.”

 

                “Well,” Dean finished swallowing the food that he had. “Of course they do! You went a whole month without going to your first four classes!” Dean smirked. “They probably look down at their sheets for attendance and they’re like, ‘Well, we all know that Castiel kid is gone’.”

 

                Castiel shoved Dean’s arm playfully. “Yeah yea, whatever man.” He said as he took another bite.

 

                Dean shook his head. “Nah man. I mean, I should be doing well. I memorized the placement of the parts in some motorcycles.” Dean said.

 

                Castiel’s eyebrows raised. “No kidding?” He said, quite astonished.

 

                “Hell yeah. Now, all I need to do is cars. I like motorcycles and all, but I don’t really want to work with them as much.”

 

                “So, you mainly want to work on cars?”

 

                Dean nodded. “Yeah. Basically.” He shrugged.

 

                “That’s cool.”

 

                “What about you? Have you decided on your future yet? We _are_ four years away from being thirty.”

 

                “Geez, don’t say that.” Castiel said with a sigh, allowing a smile to cross Dean’s lips. “Of course I’ve thought about it. I think something along the lines of web designer or something. I think it would be amazing to work for Google for some time, or even YouTube.” Castiel said.

 

                “That would be cool. Getting to watch all of those videos on YouTube whenever you wanted.”

 

                Castiel smiled in agreement. “That would be cool. I would love to watch videos all day, but there are some on there that are just plain boring. Like there are freaking kid’s shows, cooking, crocheting.”

 

                “Ugh,” Dean said with a playful groan. “That little problem aside, it would really be fun. How are you doing in your classes?”

 

                “The classes that I actually want to be in? Like, the ones that have to deal with my potential future at Google?” Dean nodded. “I have all A’s in those classes I think. I don’t know though. It’s been a while since I’ve checked my grades. I’ll have to check tonight.”

 

                Dean nodded. “Sounds good.”

 

                Dean and Castiel kept on chatting about this and about that as they finished off their breakfast. When they were finished, they grabbed their stuff, threw the trash away, and set their dishes on a conveyor belt, which took them into the kitchen. Castiel checked the time. It was 8:40. They had 20 minutes to make it to the building their classes were in, so they decided to take the long way around campus to talk and enjoy the rest of the air that was still warm. It wouldn’t be long before winter hit.

 

                They were somewhere around building E or D, they couldn’t tell which, but they did know that their building was getting close. Once their building was in sight, they made their way over. Before they could get any farther, they were stopped by a familiar voice.

 

                “Hey, Dean!” The voice said, making the two men stop.

               

                Dean turned around, towards the direction of the voice. “Gabriel?” Dean asked as Gabriel approached the two. Gabriel was huffing, out of breath, as he bent over and placed his hands against his knees. “You okay?” Dean asked with a small smirk.

 

                “Yeah,” Gabriel wheezed. “I just… saw you… across the yard and… I needed… to talk to you.”

 

                “Talk about what?” Dean said. He then turned towards the direction he figured Castiel was in. “Is Cas still here?”

 

                Gabriel nodded. “Yeah,” He said before turning to the taller, black-haired male. “Hi Cas.”

 

                “It’s Castiel.” Castiel rolled his eyes before reaching his hand out to Gabriel, which he accepted. “And Hello Gabriel.”

 

                Gabriel gave a small, half-hearted smile before retracting his hand. Dean rubbed his hands together. “So, what did you want to talk to me about?” Dean asked.

 

                Gabriel shook his head. “Oh, right, ugh,” Gabriel placed his hands inside of his pants pockets. “First of all, I wanted to say that I’m still sorry about what happened on Wednesday. And what happened to Helen… is she okay, by the way?”

 

                “Yeah, Meg called on Wednesday night. The doctor said that she was lucky that she didn’t puncture an artery, but she should be alright.” Dean replied.

 

                “That’s good, that’s great. I’m glad.” Gabriel said. “Alright, so, ugh…” He bit the inside of his cheeks, then his bottom lip. “I have a friend who said that there was an opening at a local café, not too far from the campus. She said that, if you’re interested, you can have the job.”

 

                Dean’s mouth hung open. He was unsure of how to respond to that statement. “She doesn’t have to.” He finally got out. “I mean, if it’s too much trouble…”

 

                “She owes me anyway.” Gabriel said with a smirk.

 

                “Ugh, alright. Does she, you know, know about my condition?” Dean asked with a hint of uncertainty.

 

                Gabriel nodded. “Yeah, I told her.” He said before he let out a dry laugh. “She said that a while back they actually had a deaf person working for them. It seemed to work out pretty well, and so she just seemed to brush off the fact that you were blind.”

 

                “Is she the boss?”

 

                “Yep.”

 

                Dean thought about it, biting his lip and running his fingers through is hair. After contemplating it for a couple of seconds, he finally nodded. “Yeah, alright.” He said. “How much does it pay and when do I start?”

 

                “$8.50 an hour and you start as soon as you can. She said that the hours were from 11 in the morning to 5 at night.”

 

                “Well, the hours aren’t bad,” Dean commented.

 

                “$8.50? Isn’t that over minimum wage?” Castiel asked, butting in.

 

                Gabriel nodded. “Yeah, but this isn’t a minimum wage place. The café is over near the west side of town.”

 

                “You mean the wannabe Beverly Hills part of town?” Dean asked.

 

                “That’s the one.” Gabriel said with a clap of his hands.

 

                Dean couldn’t help but smile at the news. He shifted his hands so that they were clinging onto the backpack strap that was on his shoulder. “Alright.” Dean said. “Yeah, I’ll take the job. That’s… amazing.” Dean let out a small, breathy laugh. “Thanks.”

 

                Gabriel smiled. “Not a problem.” Gabriel said. As he began to walk past the two men, he patted Dean on the shoulder and went into the school building.

 

                Dean let out a chuckle and Castiel couldn’t help but look astonished. Castiel smirked as he looked towards Dean and patted him on both of his shoulders.

 

                “Holy cow man,” Castiel said as they both stood there. “Isn’t that a stroke of luck?”

 

                Dean nodded. “Hell yeah. Some luck.”

 

                They both stood there for a while before finally making their way to their classes. They were barely on time. Dean figured he would go and talk to the woman that day, just to make sure that he truly did get the job. It could have been the best thing that had ever happened to him, even if it meant skipping his last two morning classes.

 

                He was just glad that he would be able to provide money for Sammy and himself. He was finally going to be the big brother he had always dreamed of being. He was going to be useful, and he was thankful.


	6. You're Hired

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Dean wishes to go and check out his new job, as well as the people he would work with. Will it be all that's cracked up to be?

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> This is, probably, one of my favorite chapters so far. I definitely have more coming! I really hope you love this!

It was 10:20 in the morning. Classes were switching out, but Dean had other plans. Instead of making his way to his next class, he made his way out to the men’s dorm. He still had to put his backpack away before he went to his new job. When he walked into the dorm, a thought hit him, causing him to halt in his tracks.

How would he get to his new job?

 

                Dean sighed before he ran his hand over his face. Of course. That thought would have been good to have when Gabriel was talking to him about the job. Maybe Castiel could drive? No, he had classes. Adam? Classes. Maybe Gabriel? He probably had classes too.

 

                “Dean?” He heard a voice say.

 

                Dean lifted his head up, looking towards the direction of the familiar voice.

               

                “Gabriel?” Dean asked as he stared forward.

               

                “Yeah, it’s me. What’re you doing out of class?”

 

                “I could ask you the same thing.” Dean said.

 

                “I asked you first,” Gabriel said with a small smirk.

 

                Dean smirked as well. “I thought I might go to the café and, you know, talk to the boss, see what it’s all about, but I realized that I don’t have a ride.” Dean said with a nervous smile as he rubbed the back of his neck.

 

                “Oh, I can drive you.” Gabriel said nonchalantly.

 

                “Really?”

 

                Gabriel nodded. “Yeah, I’m going there anyway, my shift starts in an hour or two.” He said.

 

                “Your shift?” Dean asked. “You work at the café?”

 

                “Yeah.” Gabriel nodded, slightly confused. A look of realization crossed his face. “I guess I forgot to tell you.”

 

                “Yeah, you kind of forgot to mention that little detail.” Dean smirked.

 

                “Gee, I’m sorry.”

 

                “It’s no problem. Glad to know. At least someone will be there that I know.” Dean said. “I don’t wanna be a stranger.”

 

                “Yeah, good thing, I guess.” Gabriel said. “So, are you ready…?”

 

                Dean shook his head. “No, I just have to go and drop my bag off in the dorm room and then I’ll be ready.”

 

                “Well,” Gabriel said as he reached his hand out. “Do you want me to drop it off? Save you the trouble.”

 

                Dean shrugged and took the backpack off of his shoulder and handed it to Gabriel. “Yeah, that would be great. Thanks.”

 

                “No problem,” Gabriel said. “I’ll be right back.”

 

                “Alright. It should be unlocked.”

 

                Gabriel nodded, turned around, and left Dean standing there. He walked down the hallway until he got to Dean’s room. Room 27. He walked into the room and got a good look at the inside of the room. There was one side of the room that was messy, clothes on the bed and items scattered around the floor around it, while the other one was neat, no clothes on the bed or objects around it. He figured Dean was the neater one.

 

                Gabriel set the backpack on the clean bed and hurried back out to the entrance area of the dorm. Dean was there, leaning up against the wall, hands in his pockets, waiting for Gabriel to return. Dean, hearing the footsteps approaching, pushed himself off of the wall and faced the direction in which Gabriel was coming from.

 

                “Now are we good to go?” Gabriel asked as he gestured towards the door that led outside.

 

                The corner of Dean’s mouth turned up as he glanced towards the ground before looking back up. “Yeah, we’re good to go.”

 

                Gabriel nodded as he began to walk outside, Dean following. Gabriel held open the door as Dean walked through it. Dean muttered a ‘thanks’ as they left the dorm. Dean stopped.

 

                “Where did you park?” He asked.

 

                “The same spot that we parked two days ago.” Gabriel answered.

 

                “Ugh,” Dean rubbed the side of his neck. “Do you think you can help me? Like…guide me there?”

 

                Gabriel couldn’t help but smile when he saw the small, pink tinge that was across Dean’s freckled cheeks. “Yeah, sure. No problem.”

 

                With that, Gabriel pressed his hand on the small of Dean’s back, guiding him through the cars that were parked. When they got to the middle of the parking lot, they walked down the center until they got to the very last stall in the lot. There, sat Gabriel’s car. Gabriel helped Dean to the passenger’s side. He opened the door, waited until Dean got it, and then shut the door.

 

                Gabriel made his way over to the driver’s side and got into the seat. Dean already had his seatbelt on. Gabriel pulled his seatbelt over his torso and buckled it in. He then took the keys out of his pocket, but them in the ignition, and started the car. Both Dean and Gabriel were silent until they had pulled out of the parking space and drove out of the parking lot. Dean broke the silence.

 

                “What does it look like inside? The café, that is.” Dean asked as he turned his head towards Gabriel, not entirely looking at him.

 

                Gabriel shrugged. “It’s kind of hard to describe… um… modern, that’s one term.” Dean smirked. “Ugh…” Gabriel bit his lip. The words were stuck in his throat. “It’s not that big of a building. It’s pretty small, like any normal café. The seats are made of black leather.”

 

                “How many seats are there?”

 

                “I don’t know…” Gabriel thought about it for a couple of seconds. “Let’s see…” He began. “Each half has the same number of chairs. Four tables each half. I think three booths on each side. Then there are tables and chairs outside…”

 

                Dean chuckled loudly. Gabriel looked towards him with a quirked brow. “What?” He asked.

 

                “Nothing?” Dean said, waving him off.

 

                “Yeah, I’m not that good at descriptions.” Gabriel said.

 

                “I can tell,” Dean said. “No offense.”

 

                “Yeah, none taken.” Gabriel said as he looked back at the road. “The usual time that customers come in is after lunch sometime. Around 12:30 or 1:00 o’clock. When we get there, you’ll have time to talk to Carrie and I’ll also have time to show you the ropes.”

 

                “Carrie? Is that your boss?”

 

                Gabriel nodded. “Yep, a wonderful dedicated woman to the small business.” Gabriel smiled warmly. “A couple years ago, the café opened. She decided to open it after she got injured in Iraq.”

 

                “Oh, wow, what happened?” Dean asked with concern in his voice.

 

                “She has a limp in her leg. I think that’s why she accepts everyone as her employees. I think people have said something.”

 

                “How rude.” Dean said.

 

                “Very,” Gabriel responded. “But trust me, she’s had worse.”

 

                “Yeah,” Dean said. A smile appeared on his face. “Should I call her Ms. C?”

 

                Gabriel laughed. “If you call her that, she’ll definitely hit you with her walking cane for sure. Miss makes her feel old.”

 

                Dean laughed along. “How old is she?”

 

                “Late thirties, early forties. I don’t entirely know. She never told me.”

 

                “Geez,” Dean said. “That’s young.”

 

                “Sure is, but I heard she served one hell of a time over in Iraq.” Gabriel shuddered. “Some of the stories I heard…”

 

                “Huh?”

 

                “Some of the soldiers from her platoon came into the café about a month or two ago and they told us employees some stories about her before she got to the café. The things that they told us…you would not look at her the same way again.”

 

                “What did she do?” Dean asked.

 

                Gabriel shook his head. “You don’t wanna know.”

 

                “No?”

 

                “No.” Gabriel said. “Just don’t aggravate her. She can get a little crazy.”

 

                “Crazy like…?”

 

                “Like the good type of crazy. She’s cool.” Gabriel said.

 

                “Well, that’s good.”

 

                Gabriel nodded as he turned his attention back to the road.

 

                They got to the ritzy part of the town. Dean was correct; it was a wannabe Beverly Hills. Some of the buildings were built the same way as in Beverly Hills, California. There were expensive, luxury cars that were roaming the streets, but nothing else seemed extravagant, not even the clothes that the people wore on their backs were elegant and expensive.

 

                The café building was small, just like Gabriel had said. It was made of brown and red bricks that were chipped in some places. The building definitely needed to be remodeled outside.

 

                Gabriel parked his car into the parking spot right in front of the café that was reserved for him. He parked the car, turned the car off, and placed the key into his pocket.

 

                “We’re here.” Gabriel said.

 

                Dean nodded as he opened up the passenger’s side door, stepping out of the car. Gabriel got out of the car as well, walking over towards Dean, but not before making sure that the car was locked. He assisted Dean was they walked up to the building. Before they could go into the building, Dean gripped onto the side of the building, causing Gabriel to halt. Dean ran his hand up the side of the building.

 

                “Brick?” He asked.

 

                Gabriel nodded. “Yeah, this building is pretty old. It needs to be renovated.”

 

                Dean nodded before he and Gabriel walked into the building.

 

                The interior looked nothing like what the café did on the outside. One half of the restaurant mirrored the other half. There were four tables with four chairs on each side of the café. Four, large black booths were riding along the walls, near the windows, on each side. In front, there was a long counter that had four bar stools so people could sit there.

 

Besides the seat farthest to the right, there was a glass container that was filled with many treats. Besides the seat farthest to the left, there was the register and a small door that would swing open so you were able to get behind the counter. Behind the counter was all of the kitchen appliances used to make the coffee and some of the pastries. There was a door farthest to the right, which led to a kitchen, where the rest of the pastries that were in the glass container were made.

 

                The bell above the door rang as Gabriel and Dean walked into the café. They both stopped right as they got into the building.

 

                “Is anyone here?” Dean asked.

 

                “Probably, the door was unlocked.” Gabriel said as he rubbed the back of his neck. Gabriel brought his left hand up to the side of his mouth. “Hey! Anybody here!?” He shouted.

 

                There was a groan that was heard in the room, but there was no one in sight. “Can you keep your voice down?” A deep, growl like voice said.

 

                Gabriel arched a brow. “Seth?”

 

                A male sat up behind the counter and slowly lifted himself up with the aid of the counter. His chin length hair was a mess and there were purple rings under his eyes. His grey t-shirt and jeans were ruffled and wrinkled. The only groomed thing on him was his goatee.

 

                “Dude, were you here all night?” Gabriel asked with a tone of disbelief.

 

                “Ugh,” Seth groaned and held onto his head. “Don’t remind me.”

 

                “You have a hangover, don’t you?”

 

                “No,” Seth said. “Maybe. Yes.”

 

                Gabriel sighed. “You’ll be able to work, right?”

 

                “Hell yeah,” Seth staggered as he made his way around the counter. “I’m just fi…”

 

                Just then, Seth gripped onto his stomach and placed a hand over his mouth. His eyes widened as he ran to the door farthest to the left, the bathroom. From where they were standing, Gabriel and Dean were able to hear Seth lurch up the food that he had the night before. They both grimaced as Gabriel turned towards Dean.

 

                “That charming guy you just heard is Seth Burgundy.” Gabriel said as he pointed towards the bathroom. “Complete party animal. It takes that man a while to get drunk, but when he does, it hits him like an avalanche in the morning.” Gabriel chuckled. “I don’t even feel sorry for him. Not the slightest.”

 

                Dean smiled. “So, I’m guessing that he’s not the only other employee that works here?” Dean said with a quirked brow.

 

                Gabriel shook his head. “You’re right about that.” He said. “We have one more employee; Bethany. She’s a real sweetheart to be honest. Usually when Carrie’s yelling at Seth and I for something that Seth did, she would use the line; ‘why can’t you be more like Bethany!? She always gets things done around here! Do you see how many people want to eat the pastries? Why? Because she’s a chef from the gods!’”

 

                “Did she really say that?” Dean asked, his jaw dropping in disbelief.

 

                “Yes! Once. It changes each time.”

 

                “Each time? How often does Seth do something wrong?”

 

                Gabriel shrugged. “He’s gotten better. I guess.”

 

                “Oh no.” Dean said with a smile.

 

                “Yeah,” Gabriel nodded. “Oh no.”

 

                Just then, the bathroom door opened back up and Seth stumbled out of the room. He leaned up against the cold, metal doorframe. Seth sighed. Gabriel bit his lip.

 

                “Do you need any medicine?” He asked Seth.

 

                Seth shook his head. “No,” He said as he pulled out an orange bottle from his jean pocket. “I got some,” He popped open the pill bottle, poured three ibuprofen out onto his hand, and popped them into his mouth.

               

                “You carry around ibuprofen with you?” Gabriel asked.

 

                Seth nodded. “You know,” He said as he placed the bottle back into his pocket. “Headaches and stuff.”

 

                “Uh huh.” Gabriel nodded.

 

                Seth squinted when he saw Dean standing next to Gabriel. “Who’s that guy?” He asked with a huff.

 

                Gabriel turned towards Dean. “Oh,” He said. “This is Dean. He’s going to be working here.”

 

                “Oh, yeah yea.” Seth waved towards the duo as he stood up straight, no longer using the doorframe for support. “Carrie texted Bethany and I last night. ‘Be respectful! Just because he’s blind, doesn’t mean he can’t work as hard as Bethany. Maybe you can learn something from him Seth.’” He quoted the text.

 

                Gabriel laughed, as did Dean. Gabriel patted Dean on the back. “See? She already has high hopes for you.” He said.

 

                Dean shrugged. “I guess.”

 

                “Well, usually we don’t start having the lunch rush until later…” Gabriel said. “Why don’t you kind of, get use to the place? I don’t think you’ll have to work in the main dining area. I think you’ll just be behind the counter, so, you want me to show you?”

 

                Dean nodded. “Alright, sounds good.” He said.

 

                “Well, while you guys are doing that,” Seth began. “I’m going to go wash out my mouth.”

 

                “Yeah, good idea, you alcoholic.” Gabriel said.

 

                Seth groaned as he made his way back to the bathroom, closing and locking the door behind him. Gabriel guided Dean to the small door that led behind the counter. They went behind the counter and Gabriel showed him everything. He showed him where to get the coffee from, where all the flavors were located, where the cash register was, and many other small things that were critical to Dean’s new job.

 

                They were still talking fifteen to twenty minutes after they had started. Dean was mentally drawing a map of the area behind the counter so he would know where to go. Part of him was nervous, though. He had never worked in front of customers before, and he was afraid that they would criticize him if they found out about his disability.

 

                The bell on the front door opened. In came a small, petite woman. She had brown hair that was sloppily put back into a ponytail. She had green eyes and thick, black glasses that covered her eyes. She had jeans, boots, and a nice t-shirt on. A grey bag was slung over her shoulder.

 

                Gabriel looked up from what he was doing. He waved towards her. “Hey Bethany. Glad you came in.” He said, which caused Dean to glance up towards the direction of the door.

 

                “Hi Gabriel.” She said. “Oh,” She glanced towards Dean. “This must be the new employee.” Bethany began to make her way towards the counter.

 

                Gabriel nodded. “Yeah, this is Dean.”

 

                “Hi Dean, I’m Bethany.”

 

                “Hello Bethany,” Dean said with a small wave.

 

                “Is Seth here?” Bethany asked.

 

                Gabriel nodded. “Yeah,” He pointed to the bathroom. “He’s washing out his mouth after he threw up everything he had eaten for the past three months. He was here when we arrived.”

 

                Bethany sighed and rolled her eyes. “I swear, he is so irresponsible.” She said. “We need to take away his key or something.”

 

                Gabriel shrugged. “Well, there must be something Carrie likes about him if he’s still here, even though he has an alcohol problem.”

 

                Bethany nodded. “True, true.” She took her bag off of her shoulder and handed it to Gabriel. “Do you mind putting that under the counter? I don’t like having it back in the kitchen, too much bacteria.”

 

                Gabriel rolled his eyes, but took the bag and set it underneath the cash register. “Germ freak.”

 

                Bethany rolled her eyes. “Yeah, yeah.” She said. “It was nice meeting you Dean.”

 

                “Nice meeting you too.” Dean said in a sweet tone.

 

                Bethany smiled. She grabbed Gabriel’s arm, pulled him off to the side, out of Dean’s earshot, and got close to his ear. “He’s a keeper, isn’t he?”

 

                Gabriel’s eyes slowly widened as red colored his cheeks. “Y-yeah. Sure is.” Gabriel stuttered.

 

                Bethany patted Gabriel against the chest. “You should ask him out.” She said. “It’s obvious that you are fond of him.” Bethany smiled. “I can see that look in your eyes, so there’s no fooling me.”

 

                Gabriel rubbed the back of his head nervously. “Yeah, maybe.”

 

                Bethany only continued to smile as she patted Gabriel on the shoulder. She then retreated and went into the kitchen, the door gently swinging shut behind her. Gabriel bit his lip before he walked back and stood next to Dean. Dean had a warm smile on his face.

 

                “She seems pretty nice.” Dean said.

 

                “Yeah, she’s sweet.” Gabriel said, turning towards the door to the kitchen, but immediately turning back. “Well, why don’t I teach you how to make some of the drinks? They’re pretty easy to make once you get used to it.”

 

                Dean nodded, placing his hands inside of his pockets. “Alright, that sounds good.”

 

                Gabriel smiled as they went about learning the beverages that were on the board. About another twenty minutes later, Gabriel and Dean were working on the last drink when the door slammed open, nearly breaking the bell that was above it, and causing Dean and Gabriel to nearly jump out of their skins.

 

                In the doorway, stood a, decently tall, woman. She had long brown hair that reached down to the middle of her back. She wore a dark green tank-top, camouflage pants, and black army boots. She held a black cane in her right hand.

 

                “Is everyone here!?” She shouted. “Yes? Good! We have half an hour until we open!”

 

                Gabriel sighed, slumping his shoulders. “Alright Carrie.”

 

                “That’s the spirit!” Carrie exclaimed as she swung her arm forward. She looked around. “Where’s Bethany and Seth?” She asked.

 

                “Bethany is in the kitchen and Seth has been in the bathroom for, close to, an hour.”

 

                Carrie growled as she made her way over to the bathroom door. She took her cane and slammed it against the door. “What the hell are you doing in there Burgundy!? You better get out here before I kick your ass!” She shouted.

 

                “Alright! I’m coming out!” Seth shouted from inside.

 

                Dean’s eyes were wide as he followed the sound of her voice. He then turned towards Gabriel. “Is that…?” He started.

 

                Gabriel nodded. “Yep,” He said. “Your new boss.”

 

                Dean swallowed audibly as he turned his attention back towards Carrie. Carrie then turned towards Dean.

 

                “Who’s this?” She asked in a semi-sweet tone.

 

                Gabriel gestured towards Dean. “This is Dean, the one I was talking to you about.”

 

                “Oh, yeah, the blind boy.” She said as she walked up towards Dean. “He any good?”

 

                Gabriel shrugged. “He made everything on the menu, do you wanna try one?” Gabriel asked, rubbing the back of his neck nervously.

 

                “Sure, why the hell not?” She shrugged as Gabriel handed her a cup. She snatched it from Gabe’s hand and took a sip. She smacked her lips before taking another drink, tipping the entire cup up. She then handed the cup back to Gabriel. “Not bad. I’ll keep him.”

 

                Carrie turned away from the boys and began to walk into the kitchen, but not before banging on the bathroom door one more time, earning another yell from Seth. Dean’s eyebrows knitted together before he turned to Carrie.

               

                “So, does that mean I get the job?” He asked.

 

                “You got the job when Gabriel called me! That beverage was just support for my decision!” Carrie responded as she walked into the kitchen.

 

                Gabriel examined the cup that Carrie had returned to him. He tipped it upside down, nothing falling from the cup. It was empty. Dean tapped Gabriel on the shoulder.

 

                “So, you think she likes me?” He asked, a little nervous.

 

                “I mean, I would definitely say so. She has never finished a cup of coffee that fast before. At least, not in front of me.” Gabriel said, still in awe.

 

                “She finished it?” Dean asked.

 

                Gabriel nodded. “Yeah.”

 

                The bathroom door opened up and out came Seth. The right side of his face had horizontal and vertical lines on it. Gabriel glanced up, eyebrows knitted together at the sight.

 

                “Did…did you fall asleep on the bathroom floor?” Gabriel asked, a smile slowly making its way onto his face.

 

                Seth groaned and glared. “Shut up.” He groaned.

 

                “Dude, Carrie finished a cup of Dean’s coffee.” Gabriel said.

 

                Seth’s eyes widened. “No shit?”

 

                “No shit.” Gabriel smirked as she threw the white Styrofoam cup away. He then turned back to Seth. “Hey man, rub your face or something so you can get those damn lines off your face before we have our first customer.”

 

                Then, the bell above the door rang. All three men turned their attention towards the door. Two women, who were giggling about god-only-knows-what, walked in. Gabriel smirked.

 

                “Too late.” Gabriel said. Seth groaned and walked up to the cash register as Gabriel turned towards Dean, placing a hand on his shoulder. “Well, are you ready?”

 

                Dean bit his lip. “As ready as I will ever be.” Dean said with a small shrug and nod.

 

                Gabriel clapped his hands. “Great! Let’s get to work.”

* * *

 

                It was a complete rush. From one o’clock all the way until five o’clock, Dean was creating some sort of drink. He never understood the weird names. Who would want to drink a cappuccino? Apparently lots of women in “tight yoga pants”, according to Seth and Gabriel.

 

                The café did better in four hours than the diner did in seven or eight.

 

                Forget the diner.

 

                Dean had a new job, and a good one at that. And it seemed like everyone loved his coffee. They threw compliments at him like crazy, which made Dean feel good. He was pretty sure people got a good look at his eyes, but did it seem like they cared whether he was blind or not? Apparently not.

 

                At the end of the day, Seth was wiping down the counter, and Gabriel and Dean were quietly conversing about the day. Carrie suddenly burst through the kitchen door, causing everyone to stop and look at her.

 

                “I must say gentlemen that that was one of the best services we have ever had!” She exclaimed as she twirled her cane. “With Dean’s wonderful beverages and Bethany’s pastries, we’re gonna be rich in no time!”

 

                Dean rubbed the back of his neck as a pink tinge crossed over his freckled cheeks. Carrie made her way over to Dean and Gabriel. She placed both of her hands on either one of their shoulders.

 

                “Now, you two have worked hard today, why don’t you go back to your dorm and catch up on some sleep? You sure deserve it.”

 

                “What about me?” Seth complained.

 

                “You get to go home and relax when you stop drinking your paycheck away and coming into my shop when you’re drunk!” Carrie boomed.

 

                Seth laid his head on top of the wet counter. Carrie rolled her eyes as she turned back to the boys.

 

                “Like I said;” She began. “Go back to your dorm and sleep.”

 

                “I’d love to,” Dean said. “But I have a shift at another job.”

 

                “Another job?” Carrie exclaimed. “Dean, this is the only job you need! Where else are you working?”

 

                “Biker Joe’s Bar.” Dean said.

 

                Carrie groaned. “That lame ass place!? No way in hell are you working there! This is the only job you need!” Carrie patted him and Gabriel on their shoulders before turning around. “I’m calling your boss right now and telling him that you won’t be working there anymore.”

               

                “But…”

 

                “No buts!” Carrie scolded. “You are a part of this job now and I will not have my special ‘chef’ work at some greasy, slimy, disgusting bar in the most ghetto part of the city! Like I said; Home….Rest.”

 

                With that, Carrie was gone. She vanished back into the kitchen. Dean just stood there, gaping. Gabriel did the same. After a while, Dean cleared his throat.

 

                “Ugh,” He said. “So…did I quit? Or did I get fired?” Dean asked.

 

                Gabriel shrugged his shoulders. “I haven’t the slightest clue.” He said. “Maybe a little bit of both.”

 

                “I guess,” Deans said.

 

                It was then that the both of them began laughing. Gabriel placed his hand on Dean’s shoulder just as the laughter was dying down. Gabriel then gestured towards the front door.

 

                “Come on,” He said. “Let’s get back to the dorm.”

 

* * *

 

                The drive back was normal and full of regular conversations. Part of the conversations were Dean and Gabriel getting to know each other, personality-wise, and the other part was just random conversation that they could think of at the time.

 

                Soon, they pulled into the parking lot and Gabriel got into his usual parking spot. They both got out of the car, laughing about god-only-knows-what. Gabriel guided Dean into the dorm, placing a hand on Dean’s shoulder. They continued to talk and laugh until they got inside.

               

                Gabriel looked up from the ground. His smile faded as he halted. Dean’s eyebrows knitted together.

 

                “What’s wrong?” He asked.

 

                Gabriel kept his eyes on the woman that stood in front of the two men. She turned around to face the, her hands folded neatly in front of her.

 

                “Hello Dean,” She said with a small smile.

 

                Dean looked towards the voice with a confused look on his face. “Helen?”

 


	7. The Retired Life Suits You

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Helen has stopped by the dorm to give some news to Dean.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I appreciate the feedback that people have been giving me. I am enjoying writing the story so far and I can't wait to write more! Thank you!

Helen had a warm smile on her face as she glanced back and forth between Gabriel and Dean. Dean took a step closer to her, a confused look still on his face.

“What’re you doing here?” He asked.

“Well,” She replied in a sweet tone. “I was looking for you, but it seems like I wouldn’t have gotten far, seeing as you just got back. Where were you? If you don’t mind me asking.”

“Ugh,” Dean shook his head, trying to clear his mind. “A…A new job.”

 

                “New job already? Well, that’s wonderful Dean!” She exclaimed as she walked over to Dean and placed her hands on his shoulders.

 

                Dean couldn’t help but smile slightly, but it soon went away. “What about you? Have you found a new job yet?”

 

                Helen sighed as she let her arms drop down. She held her hands extremely close to her chest. “That’s what I’ve been wanting to talk to you about.” She said. Helen rubbed her hands together nervously. “I’m not….” Helen sighed again.

 

                “Why don’t we see if the lounge area is empty? We can sit there and talk…” Gabriel butted in, placing his hands in his pockets and stepping forward.

 

                Helen nodded. “That would be great.” She said with a small laugh. “I’ve been standing here for a couple of minutes now… and I’m not as young as I used to be, you know.”

 

                “What’re you talking about Helen?” Dean smiled as he walked up to her. “You’re as young as ever! Far from being middle aged.”

 

                Helen smiled sweetly. “I’m not a forty-something anymore Dean. I’m a fifty-something.” She said as he reached up and patted Dean on the cheek. “I’m getting old.”

 

                Dean sighed. “You can never take a compliment, can you?”

 

                Helen shook her head. “I’m realistic,” She said.

 

                Dean rolled his eyes as he, Helen and Gabriel began to walk towards the lounge area, which was just ahead of the main entrance of the dormitory. It sounded as if no one was in there. Normally, if there were people in the lounge area, music or conversation would be booming.

 

                It was silent.

 

                The room was large. It seemed to be a mix of a gaming room and a living room. At one corner of the room, to the left of the entrance, there were two black leather sofas and two chairs to match. They were all sitting in front of a large, 50” television. To the immediate right of the entrance, there was a gaming area. In the area there were two or three large, old video game machines, a pool table, and a dart board. To the far left corner of the room was a small bar area that contained non-alcoholic beverages, as far as the authorities knew. Finally, to the far right of the room, there was a medium sized bookshelf that was filled with books as well as two beanbags, red and blue, that sat next to each other.

 

                Gabriel, Helen and Dean all walked over to the group of sofas and chairs. Helen sat in one of the leather chairs while Gabriel and Dean sat side by side on one of the couches. Helen glanced around the lounge area, folding her hands and placing them in her lap.

 

                “It’s nice in here,” Helen said with a small chuckle. “Surprisingly clean.”

 

                Gabriel chuckled lightly. “You can thank the custodian for that. If it wasn’t for him, then this whole place would be completely trashed.”

 

                Helen sighed and rolled her eyes. “Oh, boys…” She said.

 

                Dean folded his hands as he hunched over, placing his elbows on his knees. He glanced up towards Helen, his head cocked slightly to the side. “What is it you wanted to talk to me about?” Dean asked.

 

                Helen rubbed her hands together for a slight second. “I’ve already told Meg and I called Adam to tell him as well.” Helen began as she glanced towards Dean. “I’m retiring.”

 

                “Retiring?” Dean asked. “Why are you telling me?”

 

                Helen shrugged. “I figured that, you know, since we worked together for, close to, a year, I figured that you deserved to know.” Helen smiled. “And…just…you three have grown on me. Even if you guys can be little assholes at times…” She giggled.

 

                Dean chuckled and Gabriel couldn’t help the smile that made its way onto his face. Gabriel turned to look at Dean for a split second before turning back to Helen.

 

                “Well,” Dean started. “Thank you for telling me. You were so welcoming to me when I started the job at the diner, even if Gordon was such an ass.”

 

                “Language…” Helen said softly.

 

                “You said ‘asshole’ though.” Dean said with a slightly whiny tone.

 

                “Language,” Helen said once more. “And the reason why I get on you about cursing is because it is not very gentleman-like to say such words in front of a lady. Cursing in general is not the most attractive thing, male or female.”

 

                Dean could feel his cheeks heat up as he rubbed the back of his neck. “You’re right,” He said, letting his hand fall away from his neck. “I’m sorry ma’am.”

               

                Helen smirked. “You better be…” She said quietly.

 

                Dean couldn’t help but smirk as well. “Why are you retiring?” He asked. “If you don’t mind me asking.”

 

                Helen let out a breathy chuckle. “Like I told you Dean; I’m a fifty-something.” She said. “I’m old. I need to relax. And especially after that incident with Gordon Walker,” Helen bit her lip. “I realized that I’m not as young as I used to be. I need to settle down, have more time with my husband.”

 

                “Well, Gordon’s an alcoholic. He should be put away for what he’s done.” Dean said, anger in his voice.

 

                “Yeah,” Helen said. “But, you know, a little birdie told me that he was being put out of business.”

 

                “And what little birdie would that be?” Gabriel asked.

 

                Helen shrugged, a small smile on her face. “Well, let’s just say it’s a birdie with very high power under his wing…” Helen smirked, which caused Dean and Gabriel to both smirk as well. “But, I never told you that, now, did I boys?”

 

                They both shook their heads. “No ma’am,” Dean said. “We didn’t hear a peep.”

 

                Helen chuckled lightly as she leaned back in the leather chair. They all sat there for a second in complete and utter silence. Dean sighed.

 

                “So, what are you going to do? Now that you’re retired?” Dean asked.

 

                Helen sighed happily. “My husband and I are going to go live with my youngest daughter.” Helen said, no longer looking at Dean and Gabriel. “She’s a single mother of three, so we figured that it would be good to go and live there.”

 

                “Three kids?” Gabriel asked.

 

                “How many grandkids do you have Helen?” Dean asked.

 

                “Six,” She said. “My youngest has three, as you know. My oldest daughter has two, and then my son has one with another on the way.”

 

                “Geez,” Gabriel said. “Big family.”

 

                Helen chuckled, but nodded. “Yeah, but I love every member of it. Especially the family that isn’t blood.” She said as she glanced back towards Dean.

 

                “What do you mean?” Dean asked, confused.

 

                “You, Meg, Adam and I.” She replied. “Even though we were only co-workers, I still looked at you guys as my family. And you deserve it, seeing as you treated me so well when we worked together.”

 

                “I can say the same to you.” Dean smirked. “And I thank you for saying that.”

 

                “No need to thank me Dean. It was something that you deserved.” Helen’s smile was warm and comforting. “And besides,” She said. “I should be the one thanking you. You, Meg, and Adam have all kept me company while I was working at the diner. For that, my husband and I are grateful.”

 

                “Really Helen,” Dean said. “It was nothing.”

 

                Helen let out a breathy chuckle as she leaned back further into the chair, getting comfortable. Gabriel, Helen, and Dean sat there in silence.

 

                “When are you leaving?” Dean asked with a sad tone.

 

                “Tomorrow morning,” Helen said. “My daughter lives two states away, so we’re flying there. We started packing last night.”

 

                “I appreciate you coming and telling me. I was worried about you after the Gordon incident.”

 

                Helen smiled. “I’m fine.” Helen said.

 

                Dean rubbed his hands together. “I’m going to miss you.” Dean said.

 

                “And I’m going to miss you too. All three of you…” Helen glanced down at her hand. “Can you do something for me…Dean?” She asked.

 

                Dean nodded. “Yeah, anything.”

 

                “Could you…I don’t know…call me every two weeks or so, just to check in? I like to see how you’re doing.” She said.

 

                Dean nodded again. “Sure, I’d be fine with that, but…”

 

                “I can put my number in your phone,” She said. “I just got a cellphone three months ago, still getting used to it, but...” Helen said as she pulled out her small, silver flip phone. “I’m just glad I can talk to my kids now.”

 

                Dean nodded. “Yeah,” He said. “Don’t worry, I’ll try to call every two weeks.”

 

                “Thank you Dean. Now, can I…?” Helen said as she stretched her hand out.

 

                “Oh!” Dean said as he reached into his jean pocket and pulled out his cellphone.

 

                Dean stretched his hand out until Helen took the phone out of his hand. She went into the contacts and put her phone number into his phone. When she was done she sent a text to her phone, something that Meg had showed her. She handed the phone back to Dean, who put it back into his pocket.

 

                “Thanks Helen,” Dean smiled. “I promise I’ll try to call.”

 

                Helen smiled. “That’s all I ask. If you can’t then you can’t, but I thank you for saying you’ll try.” Helen looked down at the silver watch that was wrapped around her aged wrist. “Oh,” She said. “Oh dear, it’s getting late. I still have to pack.” She stood up from the chair.

 

                Gabriel stood up as well. He grabbed Dean’s elbow and helped him up. Helen placed her hands together and placed them right in front of her. She stared at both of the boys.

 

                “Well,” She said. “I’ll miss you Dean. And you…” She said as she pointed to Gabriel.

 

                “Gabriel,” He said as he placed his hands in his pockets.

               

                “Gabriel,” Helen repeated. “Well, it’s nice to meet you formally Gabriel. And thank you for your help at the diner.”

 

                Gabriel smiled. “No problem ma’am.” He said. “You were in a difficult situation and I needed to help.”

 

                “And for that, I am grateful.” She said.

 

                “I’ll miss you Helen,” Dean said. “And I really hope that you have a good life with your husband and daughter and grandkids.” Dean smirked. “You’re retired now, go crazy.”

 

                Helen chuckled. “I will, I promise.” She said before she walked over to Dean and wrapped her arms around his neck, pulling him in for a warm hug. Dean hugged back, a sad expression crossing his face.

 

                “I’ll miss you,” He said.

 

                “And I’ll miss you kids like crazy,” Helen said as he pulled back from the hug. “But you all have my number now so, if you need anything, give me a holler. I’ll be here in no time.”

 

                Dean nodded. “Please be careful,”

 

                “I will,” Helen said. “You too.”

 

                “I will.” Dean said.

 

                Helen turned towards Gabriel and gave him a small smile and a nod. He did the same. Dean and Gabriel stood there as Helen turned and walked out of the lounge area and out of the men’s dorm.

 

                Awkward silence filled the room. Gabriel bit his lip as he rubbed the back of his neck. Gabriel rocked back and forth on his heels for a while before turning towards Dean.

 

                “Well,” Gabriel said, breaking the silence. “I don’t know about you, but I’m hungry. Do you wanna go out and get something?”

 

                Dean shook his head. “No, I’m good. I got homework I need to work on.”

 

                “Oh,” Gabriel looked down at the ground biting his lip. “Well, do you need help on the homework?”

 

                Dean shook his head again. “No,” He said. “Thank you though,”

 

                “Yeah,” Gabriel’s shoulders slumped. “Do you, need help getting back to your room?”

 

                “Yeah, that’d be great,” Dean said as he placed his hands inside of his pockets. “I’ve never really been in this room before.”

 

                Gabriel gives a small nod before he walks over to Dean, grabs him by his arm and proceeds to walk him to his room. It was just as simple as leaving the room the way they came in and turning to the right. Three doors down on the left. Room 27.

 

                “Well,” Dean said as he grabbed onto the door handle. “I’ll talk to you tomorrow, either at work or at school.”

 

                “I can drive you to work…” Gabriel said. “If you want.”

 

                “Really? That would be awesome. Thanks.” Dean said with a smile.

 

                Dean’s smiles warmed Gabriel’s heart.

 

                “Yeah, it’s no problem. I’ll talk to you tomorrow.”

 

                “Talk to you tomorrow,” Dean said as he turned away. He opened the door, walked into the room, and shut it behind him.

 

                Gabriel let out a sigh as he smacked his face with his hand. “Stupid coward, geez.” He said as he turned his back on the door. His shoulders slumped as he placed his hands in his pockets, slowly dragging his feet down the hallway.

 

                _He’s a keeper, isn’t he?_

_You should ask him out._

_It’s obvious that you are fond of him._

_I can see that look in your eyes, so there’s no fooling me._

                Gabriel stopped moving. He sighed and ran his right hand over his face. “Dammit.” He said. “Why does Bethany always have to be right?” Gabriel asked himself as he turned around and strode back to Dean’s door.

 

                When he got there, he knocked on the door. It wasn’t too powerful, but it wasn’t too soft either.

 

                “Who is it?” Dean called from inside.

 

                “It’s, ugh, me, Gabriel.” Gabriel said. “Can you open the door?”

 

                Without a response and within a couple of seconds, the door opened up, revealing the tall blonde. Gabriel swallowed the lump in his throat as he stared into Dean’s eyes.

 

                “Gabriel?” Dean asked in a slightly confused tone.

 

                “Ugh,” Gabriel stuttered as he shuffled around on his feet, attempting to find the right words. A small pink tinge crossed over his cheeks. “I wanted to ask you something,”

 

                “Sure, what is it?”

 

                “Listen, I know that Helen just gave you the news that she was moving away and all, but… Well, I was…sort of wondering if…maybe… you’d…”

 

                “I’d…?”

 

                “Maybe you’d want to…have dinner with me?” Gabriel said, balling his fists up. “I mean, I know it seems kind of…out of the blue…but…”

 

                Dean’s confused look was soon replaced with one of realization. His eyes were wide and his cheeks were completely flushed pink. Dean’s mouth was open and moving, but he was unable to form words out of sheer surprise.

 

                Gabriel’s eyes widened and his cheeks grew even hotter. “Oh my god, you’re not…” Gabriel began backing up.

 

                Dean blinked a couple times, waking up from his frozen state. He waved his hands up. “No…no…”

               

                “I’m sorry, I didn’t… I thought…”

 

                “No, Gabriel, listen! I am! Yes, and…” Dean swallowed. “Dinner would be…fun. Dinner would be nice.”

 

                “I’m so stupid I…” Gabriel froze. “What?”

 

                “I said ‘yes’. Dinner sounds great.”

 

                It took Gabriel a second to process the information but, when he did, his face lit up like a Christmas tree. “Great!” Gabriel exclaimed. “Um, how about tomorrow? Right after work?”

 

                “Oh,” Dean said. “Well, tomorrow I have the shift at the library.”

 

                Gabriel frowned. “Oh, well…”

 

                “How about tonight?” Dean asked.

 

                “Tonight?”

 

                Dean nodded. “If you don’t have anything planned. I mean, I’m free, seeing as I don’t have a job at the bar anymore, thanks to Carrie.”

 

                “Yeah,” Gabriel said. “I’m free tonight. Let’s say…around eight o’clock sound good to you?”

 

                Dean nodded. “Yeah.”

 

                “Do you want to decide where we go then?” Gabriel asked.

 

                Dean nodded. “Sounds good.”

 

                “Alright, well, see you then.” Gabriel said, giving a small wave.

 

                “See you,” Dean said with a wide smile as he closed the door.

 

                Gabriel turned his back to the door and let out the air that he hadn’t even known he’d been holding. He placed his hand over his chest and smiled widely.

 

                “Thank God Bethany’s always right,” Gabriel said before he made his way down the hallway and to his own room.


	8. Preparation

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Gabriel finally got the courage to ask Dean out. Both of them are extremely nervous. They both decide to get ready for their date that is soon approaching...

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Yay, thank you guys for the awesome feedback. I really appreciate the love. This is the eighth part! Have fun!

Gabriel sighed as he closed the door behind him. Finally, he had a date. His first one. He was excited.

And extremely nervous.

It felt as if there were butterflies flying around in the man’s stomach. He didn’t know how to act on a date! How was he going to dress? Gabriel’s brain felt as if it was going to explode, as well as his stomach. Gabriel closed his eyes and took a deep breath. It was fine. He could do it. Gabriel checked the time.

6:30.

                                   

                No problem. Gabriel would get some sleep for about half an hour or so, then he would get up and get ready for the date. How difficult would it be anyway? Gabriel walked over to his bed, kicked off his shoes, and laid down under the covers. Gabriel set an alarm on his phone before he set it off to the side, turned the light off, and turned to the side, closing his eyes and falling asleep.

* * *

 

                Gabriel’s alarm blared in his ear, causing him to jerk upright. He reached over, grabbed the phone and turned off the alarm. Gabriel just sat there, his hair hanging down in his face. He reached up and rubbed both of his eyes, he then stretched.

 

                Gabriel looked down at his phone, the light from the device temporarily blinding him. He rubbed his eyes again, then looked back at the screen.

 

                It was 7:15.

 

                He had forty-five minutes until he was supposed to go on his date. He mentally cursed himself as he threw his legs over the side of the bed, grabbed a new pair of boxers, and rushed into the bathroom. He would shower before the date.

 

                Gabriel stripped from his clothing, turned on the water, and got in the shower. It was a quick deal. Wash, rinse, repeat. Within five to ten minutes, Gabriel was out of the shower and in his new pair of undergarments. He then exited the bathroom and walked over to the closet. When he opened the door, he just stood there.

 

                What was he going to wear?

 

                Gabriel sighed as he leaned up against the wall. “Crap…” He muttered under his breath.

 

                It was then that the door opened. Gabriel panicked and grabbed a blanket off of his bed to cover his lower half. He sighed once he saw his roommate, Balthazar, enter the room. Balthazar looked at Gabriel with a small smirk.

 

                “Ah, you’re up.” He said as he took off his jacket and threw it on his bed, opposite of Gabriel’s. When he spotted the blanket, he frowned. “What, where you having a moment under that blanket?”

 

                Gabriel rolled his eyes. “No, I wasn’t. I was just…trying to find what I’m going to wear for my date.”

 

                “You have a date? With who?”

 

                “Dean Winchester.”

 

                Balthazar shook his head. “Never heard of him.”

 

                “He goes here. He’s blind…”

 

                “Oh, yea yeah.” Balthazar nodded. “I feel bad for him. Lots have been said.”

 

                “Yeah, I know…” Gabriel said.

 

                Balthazar walked over to the closet and looked inside. He bit his lip before he started shifting the clothes around. Gabriel quirked a brow.

 

                “What’re you doing?” He asked.

 

                “Well, you obviously have no idea what you’re doing so, I figured that I could help you, being the Casanova I am.” Balthazar smirked. “Now, did he ask _you_ out, or did you ask _him_ out?”

 

                “I asked him out.” Gabriel said. “Why does that matter?”

 

                “Have you decided where you are going?”

 

                “No, but why does that…?”

 

                “So you want _him_ to choose the restaurant, right?” Balthazar asked.

 

                “I guess…but…”

 

                “Well, do you have any idea what type of food he likes?”

 

                “Well,” Gabriel said. “No…”

 

                Balthazar sighed as he rubbed the back of his neck. “Amateur. You are such an amateur.” He said as he reached into the closed and grabbed a red button up shirt and a pair of jeans. He walked over to Gabriel’s bed and laid the articles of clothing down. “Let’s go casual then.”

 

                “Balthazar, I know you’re busy with throwing questions at me and touching my clothes, but can you answer one question for me? What the hell are you even doing?” Gabriel asked as he stood up from where he was sitting, not even caring that he was still just in his boxers.

 

                “Well, seeing as you’ve never actually been on a date before, I figure I can at least help you with your clothing options, you know, being the great roommate I am.”

 

                “You’re highly incorrect.” Gabriel said as he watched Balthazar pick up Gabriel’s green jacket.

 

                Balthazar dusted off the jacket before laying it down next to the other clothes. Balthazar placed his hands on his hips and smiled. “See,” He said. “There you go! Simple as that.”

 

                “I don’t know Balthazar…”

 

                “What are you?” Balthazar said. “A woman?”

 

                “Far from it.” Gabriel said as he stared down at the clothes.

 

                “Alright then,” Balthazar said as he patted Gabriel on the shoulder. “Better get ready. What time is your date?”

 

                “Eight.”

 

                “Oh,” He said as he looked down at his watch. “You have about fifteen minutes.”

 

                Gabriel nodded. “Alright, thanks.”

 

                “Anything for a roommate.”

 

                Gabriel grabbed the clothes from the bed and sighed. He then looked towards Balthazar, who had entered the bathroom and closed the door. Gabriel’s shoulders slumped. He might as well get dressed. Balthazar _did_ know what he was doing, right? With a shake of his head, Gabriel began to get dressed.

* * *

 

                Dean shut the door behind him, a smile making its way onto his face. Gabriel Novak had asked him out. Sure, Dean was exited, full of joy, but never had Dean felt as nervous as he felt at that very moment. It was his first date. Why would anyone want to date someone who’s blind?

 

                The answer didn’t matter though, because Gabriel had asked Dean out. Dean Winchester, a blind college student.

 

                What would he do though? He had no idea how a date was supposed to go. He wasn’t experienced in the art of love, and he couldn’t think of someone who was. Except Sammy.

 

                Dean leaned up against the wooden door, drumming his fingers against the wood. What was he to do first? Dean closed his eyes as thoughts ran through his mind.

 

                _I need to take a shower_ , he thought to himself.

 

                He was correct. He was due for one anyway. What clothes would he wear, though? Dean sighed as he pushed himself off of the door and slowly trudged over to the dresser next to his bed. He trailed his hand along the wood until he was touching the top drawer. He opened it and grabbed a fresh pair of boxers out. He then closed the drawer and trailed down to the second drawer. He opened the drawer, but hesitated. He felt around, feeling the fabric of each and every shirt in the drawer. On one side of the space was a stack of t-shirts while the other side contained button up dress shirts.

 

                Dean sighed. He had no idea what he was going to wear. Hell, he didn’t even know where the hell he and Gabriel were going. It was all a mystery to him.

 

                The one thing he knew was that, no matter what, he was wearing jeans. They were the only pants he owned, that and one or two pairs of shorts. He hardly wore them, if ever.

 

                Dean trailed his hand down until he got to the third drawer. He opened it up, reached inside, and pulled out a pair of jeans. He then closed the dresser drawer and turned around, making his way towards the bathroom. Once he was inside, he closed the door behind him and locked it. He placed his clothes on the edge of the sink and walked over to the shower.

 

                When he turned on the faucet, he ran his hand under the liquid, adjusting it so that the water wasn’t too hot, yet it wasn’t too cold. Once he got the temperature where he liked it, he stripped naked of his clothing. He was careful to step into the tub and under the warm, steaming water. He sighed as his muscles began to relax under the water.

 

                He picked up the shampoo and placed a small, quarter-sized amount into the palm of his hand. He placed the bottle at the edge of the tub and rubbed his hands together. He then began to cleanse his hair with the shampoo. He massaged his scalp with the tips of his fingers. After a while, he ducked his head under the water, closing his eyes as the water washed the shampoo down the drain. He massaged his scalp to get the rest of the shampoo out just as he did when he was putting the shampoo in.

 

                He then picked up the conditioner bottle and did the same as he did with the shampoo; he placed a small amount of the liquid on the palm of his hand, and then massaged it into his scalp. Instead of washing it out immediately, he picked up the bottle of body wash as well as a body poof; the one on the right, Castiel owned the other one.

 

                Dean poured out some body wash onto the poof, then set the bottle down. Dean rubbed the poof for a second before he proceeded to clean himself with it, scrubbing every part of his body that he was able to reach.

 

                After a while, he washed the poof out and placed it back where it belonged. He then stood directly under the shower head, letting the suds run off his body and go down the drain. Dean then proceeded to scrub the conditioner out of his hair but, halfway through the process, he stopped.

 

                Dean just stood there, eyes closed, letting the warm water run down his body. He was thinking. There were nerves that where settling in, but he seemed to push them aside and keep his mind focused on the task at hand. He need to get clean.

 

                Just then, there was a knock on the bathroom door. Dean turned his head towards the direction of the knocking, to his right.

 

                “Yeah?” He hollered out.

 

                “Dean? Are you in the shower?” Castiel asked from the other side of the wooden door.

 

                “Yeah!” He shouted.

 

                “Dammit…” Castiel said. “How much longer will you be in there? I need to shower.”

 

                “Not very long!” He hollered. “About five or ten minutes. What time is it?”

 

                “7:20.” Castiel said through the door.

 

                _Crap,_ Dean cursed mentally. He had been in there longer than he thought. Dean rubbed his fingers together. He noticed that his skin was definitely starting to wrinkle. Dean scrubbed the conditioner out of his hair and turned off the water. A chill went down his spine as the cool air touched his skin when he opened the curtain.

 

                Dean reached to his left and grabbed a towel off of the shelf and began to scrub down every inch of his body. Once he was certain that he got as much water as he possibly could, he threw the towel on the floor and stepped out of the shower. Dean placed a hand on his clothes that were still sitting on the edge of the sink. He grabbed his boxers and put them on, followed by his jeans. He stayed shirtless.

 

                Dean bent down to grab both his clothes and the towel that he used. There was a hamper close to the bathroom door. He put the articles of clothing in there. After that, he opened up the bathroom door, even colder air hitting him then.

 

                Castiel looked towards his roommate with knitted brows. “What? Not wearing a shirt anymore? This some sort of rebellion?” Castiel asked.

 

                Dean sighed lightly and shook his head. “No.” He said.

 

                “Then why don’t you have a shirt on?”

 

                “I have a date tonight and I haven’t the slightest clue on what I’m going to wear shirt-wise.” Dean said as he walked over to his bed and sat down at the edge.

 

                “You have a date? With who?”

 

                “Gabriel.”

 

                Castiel laughed. “Gabriel? You’re kidding, right?” He asked. He looked at Dean and frowned once he saw the seriousness in his roommate’s face. “Oh, you’re not…”

 

                Dean shook his head. “No, I’m not.” Dean said, his tone close to a growl.

 

                “Well, I just could never see you with someone like…that.” Castiel said with a small tone of caution in his voice.

 

                “’Like that’? What do you mean?”

 

                “I…well…” Castiel bit his knuckles.

 

                Dean scoffed. “You know what? Whatever,” He said as he stood up and went to his dresser.

 

                “Look,” Castiel said as he stood up. “I’m sorry. Things just slip out sometimes. I don’t think before I speak.”

 

                “Yeah, I can tell.” Dean growled as he opened up the second highest drawer.

 

                “How about I help you decide what shirt you should wear? Would that make it up to you?” Castiel asked with a small grin.

 

                Dean shrugged. “I mean, I guess, but do you even know what to do on a date?”

 

                “Well…no, but I’ve read enough stories and watched enough shows that I should…” Castiel said with an uneven tone.

 

                “Ah, geez, Castiel,” Dean groaned.

 

                “Come on, how hard can it be?” Castiel said. “Please?”

 

                Dean sighed as he turned around. “I guess,” He said as he walked back over to his bed and sat down.

 

                Castiel smiled as he walked over to where Dean was standing and stared down at the shirts. Castiel hummed as he pulled out a white, long sleeved dress shirt.

 

                “A t-shirt is too casual.” Castiel said as he closed the dresser. Castiel walked over to Dean and handed him the shirt. “It’s a white dress shirt.”

 

                Dean grabbed the shirt from Castiel. He moved the fabric around between his fingers. “I don’t know Cas,” Dean said. “Are you sure?”

 

                “What’s the worst that could happen?” Castiel asked with a shrug.

 

                Dean groaned and rolled his eyes. “Everything…” Dean muttered as he began playing with the buttons on his shirt. After a while, he finally got all of the buttons undone. He slipped his right arm through, then the left. He was then left with the task of buttoning up his shirt, which always took him a while. He started at the bottom button and made his way to the top.

 

                About halfway up the shirt, the shirt shifted. Dean had missed a button. Dean groaned, which caused Castiel to look towards him.

 

                “Do you need any help with that Dean?” He asked.

 

                “No,” Dean replied with an irritated tone. “No, I got it.”

 

                “Come on, let me just help you.”

 

                “No!” Dean said, a little louder than before. “Please, I got this.”

 

                Castiel nodded as he walked over to his bed. He sat down on the bed, got his computer out, and opened the screen up. The glow of the device illuminated Castiel’s face.

 

                Finally, Dean fixed his shirt and sighed, smoothing it out. Dean stood up, adjusting the collar on the shirt.

 

                “Are you sure I look good?” He asked with an uneasy tone.

 

                Castiel turned away from the computer screen and looked his roommate up and down. Castiel nodded in approval. “Yeah, I think so.” He said as he pushed the laptop away from him and swung his legs over the side of his bed.

 

                Dean nodded nervously. “Alright. All I need to do is put on my socks and shoes,” He stated. “What time is it?”

 

                Castiel checked his clock that was on the computer. “7:46.” Castiel said as he turned back to Dean.

 

                Dean nodded as he walked over to the dresser and opened up the very top drawer. He pulled out a pair of white socks, which were snuggled next to the several pairs of boxers he had, and closed the drawer. He walked over to his bed and sat down on the edge of it. He put his socks on each foot, then sighed.

 

                “Castiel,” He said. “I forgot I left my shoes in the bathroom, can you go get them?”

 

                Castiel nodded. “Sure thing,” He said as he stood up from his spot on his own bed and made his way into the bathroom. He picked up Dean’s boots and brought them back to him, handing them to him. “Here,” He said.

 

                “Thanks,” Dean said as he put one of the boots on the floor while he put the other on. He then took the other boot and put it on his other foot. With that, Dean sighed. “I don’t know what I’m doing,” He confessed.

 

                Castiel glanced at him. “What do you mean?” He asked.

 

                Dean shrugged. “I’ve never been on a date before and…I’m nervous as hell. I don’t know what I’m supposed to do. I don’t know how I’m supposed to feel. I…” Dean’s shoulders slumped. “I don’t know anything…”

 

                Castiel sighed. “Well,” He began. “I can’t really help you with that. I mean, I’ve never really been on a date before. But…all I can say is to be yourself. If he can’t fall in love with the real you, then you don’t deserve him.”

 

                Dean swallowed the lump in his throat, causing his Adam’s apple to bob. Dean nodded. “Alright,” He said. “Thanks for the advice Cas,”

 

                “No problem,” Castiel said. “And, you might want to, at least, comb your hair.” He said.

 

                Dean frowned as he placed his hand on top of his head. He cursed under his breath as he stood up from his spot on his bed and made his way to the bathroom. He felt around on the sink for the comb that was usually there. It was at the top right corner. He grabbed it and began to comb his hair. After a while, he placed the comb back where he had picked it up from and walked back into the main room, standing in the middle of it, facing Castiel’s bed.

 

                “How do I look?” He asked.

 

                “You asked me that already.” Castiel said, keeping his eyes on the computer screen.

 

                “Yeah, but I mean as a whole.” Dean replied.

 

                Castiel sighed lightly as he set his computer aside, sat up, and looked Dean up and down and side to side. “Dean, you look fine,” Dean sighed. “I promise.”

 

                “Alright, alright.” Dean said. “I’m good. I’m good. We’re going to have fun, and that’s all that matters.”

 

                “See? You’re thinking positive now! That’s wonderful!” Castiel said with a small smile. “Now, just keep that attitude all throughout the date, and you’ll be fine.”

 

                Dean sighed. “I can’t man. I’m too nervous.”

 

                Castiel sighed as he stood up from his seat. “I don’t know what to tell you. I mean, I guess nerves just come with the package, that’s all. This is perfectly normal.” Castiel said. “Watch, when you get there, you’ll have such a wonderful time that your nerves will just disappear.”

 

                Dean bit his lip. “Man, Cas, I hope you’re right.”

 

                There was a knock on the door, causing Dean and Gabriel to both turn towards it. The nerves in Dean’s stomach begin to act up and it feels as if his heart had stopped. Castiel placed a hand on the large man’s shoulder.

 

                “Well,” He said. “It seems you’ll find out sooner than later.”

 

                Dean swallowed the large lump in his throat as he trudged over to the doorway. _You can do this,_ He told himself. _You can do this. You can do this._

 

                Dean reached out for the doorknob. He grasped it and turned it. He then opened the door.


	9. The First Date

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Finally, Gabriel takes Dean out on a date. Will it go like Castiel said it would? Or will the entire night crash and burn?

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I couldn't think of a damn title and it's irritating, but, oh well.

Gabriel twiddled his thumbs nervously. He bit his lip as he reached up to the door. It took him a moment of hesitation before he knocked on the door. Afterwards, he backed up slightly and rubbed his hands together out of nervousness. His heart was beating a million miles an hour, but he was more excited than nervous at that moment.

After waiting a while the door opened, revealing Dean Winchester in a white, almost see-through, dress shirt, jeans, and boots. Gabriel let out a sigh of relief. He wasn’t too underdressed. He had to admit though; Dean looked pretty good in a white dress shirt.

 

                Gabriel’s cheeks heated up as he let his arms fall to his sides. He smiled lightly.

               

                “Hey Dean,” He said.

 

                A smile made its way onto Dean’s lips. It felt as if his heart was beating in his throat. “Hey Gabriel.” He said.

 

                Gabriel rocked back and forth on his heels for a second before he clapped his hands together. “Well,” He said. “Do you want to get going?”

 

                Dean nodded. “Yeah, let’s go.” He said before turning around to look at his roommate, Castiel. “I’ll be back in a while.”

 

                Castiel nodded with a small hint of a smile on his lips as he looked towards Gabriel, then towards his roommate. “Alright, have fun.” He said.

 

                Dean nodded as he turned back towards Gabriel and left the room, closing the door behind him. Gabriel smiled lightly as the two of them walked down the hallway.

 

                “So,” Gabriel said. “Where do you want to eat?”

 

                Dean shrugged his broad shoulders. “I don’t know,” He said.

 

                “Well, what do you like to eat?”

 

                Again, Dean shrugged. “I don’t know,” He replied again. “Ugh, I like hamburgers.” He replied.

 

                “Alright,” Gabriel said. “I know this really good burger place downtown. It’s called Fuddruckers.”

 

                “Fuddruckers?” Dean asked with an amused tone.

 

                Gabriel nodded. “Yeah. I’ve been there once or twice and they have the _best_ hamburgers and cheeseburgers I have ever eaten.” Gabriel shrugged. “It’s no high class restaurant, but it’s something.”

 

                Dean smiled lightly. “Alright, yeah, that sounds good. Fuddruckers it is.” He said.

 

                “Great.” Gabriel said.

 

                The two men had made their way outside by then. Gabriel helped guide Dean to his car, which was still parked in the same spot it was normally parked in. Gabriel assisted Dean as he got into the passenger’s seat. Gabriel then made his way to the driver’s seat. Before Gabriel entered the car, he took a deep breath and let it out gently. That always seemed to help. Which it did.

 

                Gabriel sat down in the seat and took out his keys from his jean pocket and put them into the ignition, turning them and starting the engine. The car roared to life as he backed out of the parking space and left the parking lot. Gabriel was the first one to speak as he turned his head and looked at Dean.

 

                “You look really nice.” Gabriel said, his voice slightly shaky.

 

                Dean gave Gabriel a small smile. “Thanks.” He said. “Cas helped me pick it out. I’m not really good at picking out…clothes.” Dean shrugged. “What’re you wearing?”

 

                “Ugh,” Gabriel said as he looked down at his attire. “Blue jeans with a red long-sleeved button up shirt and a darkish green jacket.”

 

                Dean smirked lightly and gave a small laugh. “You’re really not good at descriptions.” He said with a quiet, yet audible voice.

 

                Gabriel laughed, which caused Dean to laugh louder. “No,” Gabriel said. “No, I’m really not!”

 

                “I can tell!” Dean said, still laughing.

 

                For a while, the two of them sat there, laughing as they drove along. After a while, the laughter died down, and both Gabriel and Dean tried their best to catch their breath. When their racing hearts finally calmed and their breathing was even, Dean spoke up.

 

                “I bet you look nice too, though.” Dean said, his cheeks heating up as he spoke.

 

                Gabriel smirked, keeping his eyes on the road. “Thanks. Balthazar, my roommate, helped me with picking out my clothes as well.”

 

                “Really?” Dean asked.

 

                Gabriel nodded, biting his lip. “Yeah…”

 

                Dean and Gabriel were silent. Gabriel nervously tapped both of his thumbs against the steering wheel, chewing on his lip and making sure to keep his eyes on the road. Dean was leaning his shoulder and head against the cool car window. Dean licked his lips and began to rub his hands together. He let out a small, easy sigh, his breath fogging up the window. Gabriel would glance towards him every once in a while, but not for long, before he turned his attention back towards the road.

 

                It took them about fifteen to twenty minutes to finally make it to Fuddruckers. There weren’t as many cars parked outside as there could have been, but there was still a decent amount to where it would be partially crowded on the inside and pretty noisy as well.

 

                Gabriel parked the car in the farthest spot in the parking lot. Afterwards he shut the car off, placed the keys in his pocket, and got out of the car. He walked over to the passenger’s side of the car and opened up the door for Dean. Dean smiled towards Gabriel and thanked him. Gabriel placed his hand on the small of Dean’s back and helped guide him into the building.

 

                Gabriel was right, the place was decently packed, but there were plenty of seats left for them to have and, thankfully, one or two of them with room for two to sit. The décor wasn’t something that people would normally see. There was many random stuff hanging on the wall including; a pair of skis, multiple posters that had many different pictures on them, and different neon light signs.

 

                When they entered the restaurant, there were four or five people who were waiting in line so they could order their food. Perfect! While they wait, Gabriel and Dean could decide what they want to eat before they actually ordered their food.

 

                Gabriel still had his hand on the small of Dean’s back as they walked up to the long line of people who were waiting to order their food. When Gabriel stopped, so did Dean. Dean looked towards Gabriel.

 

                “Sounds pretty busy.” He said.

 

                Gabriel nodded. “It is, but it could be busier.” Gabriel replied as he looked to his left, where a large version of the menu was plastered on the wall.

 

                “So,” Dean rubbed the back of his neck nervously. “What do they have? Just burgers?”

 

                “Well,” Gabriel shrugged. “Sandwiches,” He replied, turning to face Dean slightly. “But, yeah, mostly burgers.” He turned back to the menu on the wall.

 

                “Can you read me what they have?” He asked.

 

                “Well, are you wanting a burger, chicken sandwich or something exotic?” Gabriel asked with a small smirk.

 

                Dean quirked a brow. “Something exotic? What do you mean by that?”

 

                “Well, they have elk, buffalo…”

 

                “No,” Dean said with a shake of his head. “I’ll just have cow, thank you very much.”

 

                Gabriel chuckled lightly. “Alright, that sounds good,” He said as he took a glance back at the menu. “Now, you have your choice of something from the ‘Specialty Burger’ section or from the ‘World’s Greatest Hamburgers’ section?”

 

                Dean shrugged. “What’s the difference?” He asked.

 

                “Well, the ‘World’s Greatest Hamburgers’ section is basically a build your own burger type of deal. The ‘Specialty Burger’ section has ingredients on the burger that you can’t get at the build-a-burger station.”

 

                “Build-A-Burger?”

 

                Gabriel nodded. “Yeah, they…don’t really call it that…but there’s a station where you can put your own toppings on your burger.”

 

                “Really?” Dean asked with a surprised and amused tone. “That’s cool.” He placed his hands in his jean pockets. “I might just take the ‘Build-A-Burger’ option.”

 

                Gabriel smirked. “Alright, you have the option of a one-third, one-half, or two-third pound burger cooked the way you want. So, rare, medium-rare, medium, or well, I think.”

 

                Dean stood there, thinking about his options. “I think I’ll go with the one-half medium-rare burger.”

 

                “Oh,” Gabriel said. “Sounds good. I think I’ll get that too. Except medium.”

 

                “You don’t like any additional toppings on your sandwich?”

 

                Gabriel shrugged. “Just trying something new, I guess. The last couple times I came here, I got the same thing, so I think it’ll be good to switch things up a bit.”

 

                Dean nodded. “Which one have you gotten the last couple of times?” He asked.

 

                “The Swiss Melt, which has Swiss cheese, sautéed mushrooms and, instead of grilled onions, I get caramelized.” Gabriel said as he placed his hands in his pockets.

 

                “That does sound good,” Dean said with a small smile on his face.

 

                “Yeah, it was,” Gabriel said. “But like I said; something new.”

 

                There were two people who were ordering their food at the counter then, so Gabriel walked with Dean so that they were behind the people. After they got done ordering the cashier, who was approximately nineteen or twenty, glanced up at Gabriel and Dean as they both walked forward.

 

                “How may I help you gentlemen?” She asked with a bright, white smile.

 

                “Ugh,” Gabriel said as he walked up to the counter, Dean directly behind him. “We’re going to have two hamburgers. Both of them will be one-half pound, but one of them medium while the other is cooked medium-rare.” He said.

 

                “Alright,” She said, punching the order into the computer. “Do you want cheese added onto it?”

 

                Gabriel looked back at Dean. “Do you want cheese?”

 

                Dean nodded. “Sure,” He said.

 

                Gabriel nodded when he turned back to the cashier. “Yes, on both please.”

 

                With a sweet smile, the girl punched the rest of the order in. “Alright, that’ll be $21.50.” She said.

 

                Gabriel got out his wallet, but stopped when he saw Dean getting out his. “No, Dean, I got it.”

 

                “Come on,” Dean said. “Let me pay for it.”

 

                “No. Of course I’m not going to let you pay for it.” Gabriel said as he took the correct amount of cash out of his pocket.

 

                Dean quirked a brow. “And why is that?” He asked.

 

                Gabriel had a small smirk as he turned back around to look at Dean in the eyes. “Because I was the one that asked you out, right?” Dean nodded. “My treat.”

 

                Dean smirked slightly. “OK.” Dean replied. “Your treat.”

 

                Gabriel smiled as he turned his attention back towards the girl. She handed Gabriel a small, black box with four red lights and the Fuddruckers symbol right in the middle of it.

 

                “Here you go sir,” She said. “This will buzz and light up when your food is ready. So when it does, you can go over to the pick-up window and grab your food.” The girl ripped the receipt from the machine. “And here’s your receipt.”

 

                Gabriel grinned at her. “Thanks,” He said.

 

                “Have a nice day.” She replied.

 

                “You too.”

 

                Gabriel turned around to face Dean. “You wanna go find a place to sit down?”

 

                Dean was rubbing his hand together and nodded nervously. “Okay, let’s go.” He said.

 

                Gabriel nodded as he placed his hand on the small of Dean’s back once more and began to guide him through the restaurant. It took a while to look around before he found the spot he had previously seen where he and Dean could sit. When he did find it, he guided Dean to the seat.

 

                It was a decent sized table and the booths that were around the table was good sized too, but it was only able to hold one or even two people, the perfect seat for the couple. Dean scooted into his seat until he was comfortable and Gabriel did the same. Once he got situated, he placed the buzzer in the middle of the table. Gabriel folded his hands and set them on top of the table as he stared at Dean.

 

                Dean bit his lip and Gabriel did the same. In the end, Gabriel was the one that broke the silence.

 

                “So,” He started. “What do you like to do…?”

 

                Dean shrugged his broad shoulders. “Listen to music, I guess.” Dean said. “That and mechanics.”

 

                “Mechanics? As in…?”

 

                “As in…like… vehicles and stuff. Mostly cars, but sometimes motorcycles.” He said.

 

                “Really? Do you do that stuff at the university?”

 

                Dean nodded. “Yeah,” He leaned forward. “Some of my classes are in the garage that they have. So far, I’ve memorized the layout of one motorcycle and two cars.”

 

                Gabriel’s eyes widened. “Wow, that’s amazing.” He said.

 

                Dean let a small smile appear across his lips as he felt his cheeks grow hot. He rubbed the back of his head. “Yeah,” He stuttered. “It’s a lot of work, but I think it’s going to be worth it.”

 

                “That’s for sure,” Gabriel agreed.

 

                “What about you? What do you like to do?”

 

                Gabriel sat there for a second before he hummed. “I guess I like to watch TV.” He said. “But, because of school and all, I haven’t been able to actually sit down and watch a show.”

 

                “Oh yeah,” Dean said. “You had that Chemistry paper due, right?”

 

                “Yeah that, long ass, annoying paper.”

 

                “How did you do on it?”

 

                “I stayed up all night doing it,” Gabriel replied. “And we haven’t even gotten it back yet, so I’m just waiting anxiously.”

 

                “Well, you probably did well on it.”

 

                “Thanks,” Gabriel said.

 

                “What are you studying to become, anyway?”

 

                Gabriel shrugged. “I’m not really sure yet, but I know for certain that I am getting my degree in medicine. I might become a surgeon or another type of doctor.”

 

                “Oh wow. When did you decide that you wanted to become a doctor?” Dean asked.

 

                “I think my junior year in high school.” Gabriel said. “I don’t know what actually triggered it, but I do know that ever since that year I’ve wanted to become a doctor.”

 

                “And before that?”

 

                Gabriel shook his head. “Undecided.” He rubbed his hands together. “I guess I wasn’t really focused on my future as must as I was my present time.”

 

                “Grades first, future later?”

 

                “Basically.” Gabriel nodded. “What about you? When did you decide you wanted to get into mechanics?”

 

                “Ever since I was little,” Dean said with a smile. “My dad would always take me out to work on his car with him. I guess he’s one of the main reasons why I want to become a mechanic.”

 

                Gabriel smiled lightly. Before he was able to say anything, the box that he had placed in the center of the table began to buzz, signaling that their food was ready. Dean glanced down at the box, then glanced back up at Gabriel. Gabriel smiled.

 

                “You ready to go get our food?” He asked.

 

                Dean nodded as both men shuffled out of their seats. Again, Gabriel assisted Dean. They both walked up to the pick-up window. Both of their meals were on one tray. One sandwich had a pink stick that was sticking out of it while the other had red. Gabriel could only figure that the red one was his medium burger.

 

                Once Gabriel picked up the tray, he and Dean both walked over to the ‘Build-A-Burger’ station where they were supposed to put the toppings on their burgers. Gabriel was the first one to top his burger, putting the toppings that he wanted on his food before turning his attention towards Dean’s food.

 

                “What do you want on your sandwich?” Gabriel asked.

 

                “What toppings are there?” Dean asked.

 

                Gabriel named off the options. After a couple seconds of thought, Dean told Gabriel what he wanted. Gabriel topped the burger and, when he was done, he placed the bun on top. Afterwards, he and Dean walked back to their table. They both scooted into their seats and began to eat.

 

                The entire time they were there they were eating and talking, being careful not to eat with their mouths full. There were countless things that they talked about; hobbies, classes, their favorite things, and more. And at that point, both men seemed to have forgotten the nervousness that once filled both of them. They seemed to be completely relaxed and comfortable with talking to each other.

 

                After they had finished eating, they left the restaurant. Gabriel, once again, helped Dean into the car and then got into his driver’s side. Gabriel started the car and began driving back to campus. On the drive back, there was no silence. There was just chatter upon chatter among the couple. It was like they were lost in their conversation, because it surprised both of them when they actually got back to campus.

 

                When they got there, Gabriel got out of the car and opened the door for Dean. This time, when Gabriel placed his hand on Dean’s back, Dean grabbed onto Gabriel’s hand instead. They continued to talk as they made their way inside the men’s dorm, hand in hand. Gabriel guided Dean so that they were standing right in front of his door. They stopped talking as Dean turned to face Gabriel.

 

                “Well,” Gabriel started. “That was fun.”

 

                Dean nodded in agreement. “Yeah,” He said. “I really had a nice time.”

 

                “Same. Maybe, would you want to do something else some other time?”

 

                Dean flashed Gabriel a smile. “Okay. Yeah, that’d be fun.” He said.

 

                Gabriel let out a silent sigh. “Great. So…I’ll call you later?” He asked.

 

                “Okay,” Dean said.

 

                Before Dean could turn towards his door, Gabriel placed his hand on Dean’s arm. When he saw Dean stop, he reached up and placed a small, innocent, kiss on his cheek. Dean’s eyes widened at the action, but they soon returned to normal as a smile spread over his face. Once Gabriel saw his reaction, he couldn’t help but a smile spread over his face as well.

 

                “I’ll call you.” Gabriel said.

 

                Dean nodded. “Alright,” He said. “I’ll talk to you later.”

 

                “I’ll talk to you later.”

 

                With that, Gabriel turned around and began walking towards his room. His heart was racing and the widest smile spread over his face. He bit his lip as he let out a heavy sigh of triumph. He had to keep himself from jumping up and down with complete joy, but he was able to do so.

 

                Dean just stood there for a couple of seconds, heart racing and completely shocked. He was himself and the date went well, in his opinion. Castiel was right. With a white smile appearing on his lips, he turned towards his door and went into his room.


	10. Most Wonderful TIme of the Year

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> They have been dating for a couple of weeks now, and Dean and Gabriel have been inseparable. Christmas is just around the corner. What is the result of a phone call from the youngest Winchester?

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Just in time for the Christmas season! I hope you enjoy this little thing :)

Dean and Gabriel had been dating for, about, two or three weeks and they were getting more and more acquainted each and every day that they were. There was hardly ever a time when they weren’t around each other, aside from classes. They would go to work together, go home together, hang out in either Gabriel’s or Dean’s dorm room, which the roommates didn’t entirely mind, and sometimes eat together. All in all, they could never ask for a more perfect relationship than the one that they were in.

They were in their last days of school before Winter break, which could only mean one thing; finals. Of course, normal college students would be freaking out at the moment, but Dean nor Gabriel was doing so. In fact, they weren’t even worried about studying. Well, not entirely worried.

 

                Dean and Gabriel were in Gabriel’s dorm room, snuggled up on Gabriel’s bed while Gabriel watched and Dean listened to the Christmas episode of ‘That 70’s Show’. True that it wasn’t Gabriel’s favorite show, but Dean seemed to enjoy it, so he really didn’t pay much mind. If he had to be honest, there were some parts of the show that were actually enjoyable.

 

                Dean snuggled closer to Gabriel as he placed his head on his shoulder. Dean’s eyes were closed and he let out a content sigh.

 

                “We should be studying.” Dean said in a calm, relaxed tone.

 

                Gabriel hummed. “We should,” He said. “But I would rather stay here with you.”

 

                “You can stay here with me and study at the same time.”

 

                “But where’s the fun in that?” Gabriel chuckled.

 

                “So you’re not even the least bit worried about your finals?” Dean asked as he sat up.

 

                Gabriel shrugged. “Well, yeah, of course I am. I mean, everyone is at least a little, but that all depends on the person, and I’m confident that I’m going to do well on my finals. At least well enough that it doesn’t bring my grade down to failing.”

 

                Dean smirked as he laid his head back down on Gabriel’s shoulder. “I mean,” He started. “I am confident in most classes. It’s my mechanics classes that I’m mostly worried about.”

 

                “Why?”

 

                “I think that I’ll just…I don’t know...mess up and fail the freaking class.”

 

                Gabriel wrapped his arm around Dean and tightened his grip immediately. “Don’t worry,” Gabriel said. “I know for a fact that you are going to pass. I mean, you can memorize the layout of cars.”

 

                “And motorcycles.” Dean said.

 

                “I mean, I don’t know anyone else who is able to do that!” Gabriel exclaimed.

 

                Dean just sat there and he laughed and Gabriel watched him with the widest smile that he has ever had. Once Dean’s laughter died down, he snuggled closer to Gabriel.

 

                “You are so easily impressed.” Dean said.

 

                Gabriel chuckled. “Only by you,” He said as he placed a small kiss on the top of Dean’s head.

 

                They hadn’t kissed yet, Dean and Gabriel. They had just shared small kisses that were either placed on the cheek or on top of the head. It was either that neither of them wanted to take things too far, or they were just nervous at to what the other one wanted. They didn’t want to seem like they were putting actions on the other person when they didn’t want or feel comfortable with it. But, then again, there was no communication on the subject matter either, which didn’t seem to bother them.

 

                They went back to the show. Gabriel closed his eyes lightly and laid his head on top of Dean’s. He seemed to be doing stuff like that recently. He would close his eyes at random moments just to try and get a feeling on what Dean was able to do. But, of course, he would never actually feel the pain that Dean had went through when it came to him adjusting to the life. He didn’t know the entire story of how Dean went blind, but he sure as hell knows that he wasn’t born with the conditions and that, in his opinion, only made matters worse.

 

                Gabriel sat there, listening to the show and imagining what the characters were doing. But he knew what they looked like. He knew information that Dean wouldn’t know, so he figured it would be useless. He opened his eyes back up and watched the show.

 

                After watching the show for about ten or fifteen more minutes Dean’s phone, which was over on top of Gabriel’s night stand, began to ring. Dean let out a small sigh as he shuffled away from Gabriel.

 

                “Gabe, can you grab that please?” Dean asked.

 

                Gabriel smiled at the nickname. “Sure thing,” He said as he reached over and grabbed the phone. He glanced at the screen to see who was calling. He furrowed his brows.

 

                “Who is it?” Dean asked.

 

                “Sam?” Gabriel said as he handed Dean the phone.

 

                “Oh! My brother.” Dean said as he sat up from the spot on the bed. “Do you mind if I take this?”

 

                Gabriel shook his head. “No,” he said, “Of course not. Do you want me to pause the show?”

 

                Dean shook his head as he moved off the bed and made his way over to the bathroom. Leaving the door open, he accepted the call, putting the phone up to his ear.

 

                “Hello?” He answered.

 

                “Hey Dean!” Sam said. “How are you?”

 

                “Well, I’m doing well. Really well actually.” Dean said with a small smile. “What about you?”

 

                “Good. Jess and I are doing very good.” Sam said.

 

                “Well, that’s good.”

 

                “Look, the reason why I called you was because I wanted to ask you something.”

 

                The nerves built up inside of Dean. “What is it?”

 

                “Do you have anything planned for Christmas vacation?” He asked.

 

                Dean cocked a brow as he shuffled slightly, placing his hand on top of the sink so that he was able to lean forward. “Not that I know of, why?” He asked.

 

                “Well,” Sam said. “I was kind of wondering if you wanted to go visit mom and dad this Christmas.” Dean stayed silent. “I know you haven’t been there in a while and I just think that it would be a great surprise, especially if you come.”

 

                “Would you tell them?” Dean asks.

 

                “I mean, I wasn’t planning on it.” Sam said. “I was just planning on having you show up, if that’s alright with you.”

 

                Dean nodded. “Yeah, that’s alright.” He said as he turned towards the bathroom door.

 

                “Okay, so Jess and I were planning on leaving a day or two after finals so, in about two or three days. We can come by and pick you up…”

 

                “That won’t be necessary.” Dean said. “I have someone to drive me.”

 

                “Really? You’re dating someone?”

 

                “Yeah, have been for two or three weeks.”

 

                “And I haven’t been told about it?” Sam asked with an amused tone. “Come on man, spill the details. Who is it?”

 

                Dean smirked. “That’s for me to know and you to find out.” He said.

 

                “Aw, come on! Fine, that can be a Christmas present. Finding out what guy Dean’s finally bringing home.”

 

                Dean had only told Sam about his sexual orientation, and that was right before they went to college. It took Sam a second of thinking before a wide smile spread over his face. He was happy that his brother admitted that he was in love with men and it made him even happier that Dean trusted him enough with such a fact.

 

                “Yeah,” Dean said. “Best present I can give.”

 

                “Not the best.” Sam said. “The best would be showing up.”

 

                “Good point.”

 

                “How do you think dad will react?” Sam asked.

 

                Dean’s shoulders slumped. “I don’t know.” He admitted. “But right now I don’t want to think about it. Right now, I just wanna think about how he’ll react to me asking if he wants to go to my parents for Christmas.” Dean rubbed the back of his head. “And when I know for certain we’re coming, then I’ll give you a call.”

 

                “That sounds good Dean. Jess and I really hope you can make it.” Sam said.

 

                “Well, I hope I can too.” Dean said. “Like I said; I’ll give you a call.”

 

                “Alright dude. I’ll talk to you later.” Sam replied.

 

                “I’ll talk to you later,” Dean said as he ended the call.

 

                Dean let out a small sigh as he placed the phone in his pocket. He stood there and took a deep breath. Part of Dean was excited to be visiting his family over the Christmas vacation, at least he hoped. There was another part of him that hoped Gabriel was okay with it, but even if Gabriel wanted to visit his own family over the Christmas season, he wouldn’t mind it.

 

                When Dean walked out of the bathroom, he could still hear the show that Gabriel was watching. Gabriel looked towards Dean.

 

                “So,” He said. “What was that about?”

 

                “Ugh,” Dean rubbed the back of his neck. “Sammy called and he wanted to know if we wanted to go to my parent’s house for Christmas.”

 

                When Dean no longer heard the sound of the TV show, his heart raced. Gabriel sat up on his bed and continued to look at Dean.

 

                “Alright,” Gabriel said. “Yeah. I mean, I didn’t have any plans.”

 

                Dean cocked a brow. “Really? I mean, you weren’t planning on going to your folks for Christmas?”

 

                Gabriel shook his head. “Not really. I mean, I haven’t had the best relationship with my brothers or father.” Gabriel said. “They haven’t even called me since…well…ever. I really don’t think they’ll miss me this Christmas.”

 

                Dean frowned. “I’m sorry,” Dean said as he walked closer to Gabriel. “Do you wanna talk about it?”

 

                Gabriel shook his head. “Not really.” He said. “It’s Christmas time. There’s no use thinking about things you can’t change. Why don’t we think about the good? Like how I have you?”

 

                A warm smile played on Dean’s lips as he moved closer to Gabriel. By then, Gabriel wrapped his arms around his boyfriend. He then placed a gentle kiss to Dean’s forehead.

 

                “And besides,” Gabriel said. “I think it’ll be a wonderful idea to be with a family instead of being stuck here all Christmas.”

 

                Dean nodded. “Yeah. I haven’t been home ever since I came here. Not once, but I think Sammy had a very good idea. And right now, I can’t wait for you to meet my family. And I can’t wait to spend my first Christmas with you.”

 

                Gabriel smiled as he grabbed Dean’s hand. He held them for a couple seconds before he placed a kiss on his knuckles. “Why don’t we play the show? Relax.” Gabriel said.

 

                Dean nodded as he resumed his previous position where he once was. Once they were both situated, Gabriel reached over and pressed play on the show. They would stay there for most of the night.


	11. Give Him A Chance

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Gabriel and Dean arrive at Dean's old home in good old Lawrence, KS. What will their reaction be to finding out that their son isn't who they thought he was?

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Happy New Year everyone! Happy update. I didn't intentionally wait, but...oops. Great timing and have a wonderful year!

Finals were done and over with and the weight had been lifted off of Dean and Gabriel’s shoulders. Gabriel was nervous about his final grade as was Dean, but both of them felt that they did the best that they could have done and that was all that mattered to them. They figured that they would check their grades when they were able to over Christmas break.

                Dean had called Sam back, confirming that he and Gabriel were going to make it home for Christmas. Again, Sam had bugged him about naming his boyfriend, but Dean refused once more, saying that if it was going to be a surprise for their mom and dad, then it was going to be a surprise for him as well. Sam had sighed at his brother’s stubbornness, but shrugged it off. Sam had also informed Dean that he and Jess were planning on leaving the day after their finals, but since Dean and Gabriel were closer to home, they figured that they would leave a little later than Sam and Jess so that they could get there about the same time.

 

                Gabriel had packed his suitcase before assisting Dean with packing his. They both had one suitcase each, not much stuff for them to actually pack, just a bunch of clothes. Both Gabriel and Dean said their goodbyes to their roommates as they headed out to Gabriel’s car, hand in hand. They put their suitcases in the trunk of the car before entering the vehicle.

 

                Giving each other small, innocent smiles, Gabriel pulled out of the parking lot and began to drive. Gabriel was driving with his left hand while the other one was laying on the arm rest next to him, holding onto Dean’s left hand.

 

                “So, where do your parents live?” Gabriel asks.

 

                “Lawrence, Kansas.” Dean said.

 

                “Can you give me the address so I can put it into my phone?” Gabriel asked as he let go of Dean’s hand to grab his phone out from his pocket.

 

                Dean nods and gives him the address. Gabriel punched the numbers into his phone. Once he was finished, he placed the device in one of the two cup holders and placed his hand back into Dean’s larger one.

 

                It would take a couple hours to get to the house, but it would be a nice car ride.

 

                “Do you wanna listen to music?” Gabriel asked.

 

                Dean shrugged. “Sure, why not.”

 

                Gabriel smirked lightly. “You never told me what type of music you like, you know.” He said.

 

                “Well, to me completely fair, you didn’t either.” Dean said with a smirk of his own.

 

                Gabriel shrugged. “I guess not.” He replied. “Well, my favorite music would have to be…I guess pop music. But, really, I just like what I like. I don’t have a specific genre.”

 

                Dean hummed in acknowledgement. He licked and bit his lip as he thought for a second. “My favorite genre would have to be classic rock,” Dean said.

 

                “Oh, like, Metallica, AC/DC, stuff like that?” Gabriel asked.

 

                Dean nodded. “Yeah,” He said. “I’ve listened to it since I was a kid,”

 

                “Huh,” Gabriel slowly began to rub Dean’s hand smoothly. “Do you know any classic rock stations on the radio?”

 

                Dean shook his head. “Not right off the top of my head, no.” He said. “But I really don’t care what we listen to, it’s your car anyway.”

 

                Gabriel let a small, soft smirk fall on his lips as he, once again, released Dean’s hand, but this time it was to mess with the dial on the radio.

 

                It was more difficult to find a station than Gabriel thought but he, eventually, found a station with Dean’s favorite kind of music. Once the music filled the car speakers, Gabriel held Dean’s hand again. Dean smiled softly.

 

                “Thanks,” Dean said quietly.

 

                Gabriel smiled. “Anything for you…” He brought Dean’s hand up to his mouth and gave a quick kiss on the knuckles.

 

                Dean blushed furiously as he leaned back comfortably in the seat. Dean let out a small sigh.

 

                “We should be there in about three to three and a half hours,” Gabriel said. “If you wanna take a nap or something, you can.”

 

                Dean shook his head. “I’m good, but maybe in a little bit. I’d rather sit here and listen to music for a minute.” Dean said as he let his head lull to the side.

 

                Gabriel smiled lightly. “Alright,” He said as he kept his eyes on the road.

 

                Some of the ride was just full of silence, well, aside from the quiet classic rock that was playing through the speakers of the car. There were other parts of the ride where Gabriel and Dean would chat mindlessly about this and about that. There was no limit to what they were talking about.

 

                Dean did take a small nap about halfway through the trip, but woke up about thirty to forty-five minutes after he had dozed off. While he was sleeping, however, Gabriel would look out of the corner of his eye just to catch a glimpse of him sleeping. He had never seen Dean asleep before, but he knew that it was just the sweetest looking thing he had ever laid eyes upon.

 

                They reached Lawrence around four o’clock in the afternoon. Dean had called his brother earlier. Sam said that he and Jess were just ahead of them, which didn’t surprise the oldest brother mainly because of how late they actually left. With the way Sam was talking, it sounded as if Sam and Jess would arrive about ten or fifteen minutes before Dean and Gabriel did.

 

                Which is what happened.

 

                With help from Dean and the GPS on his phone, Gabriel soon pulled into the driveway to Dean’s old house. There were three other cars that were in the driveway. One of them, he figured, was Sam’s and the other two must have belonged to Dean’s parents. Once he stopped the car, he got a chance to glance around outside.

 

                Snow. That was what mostly covered the ground. He hadn’t been to Kansas much but he knew that Kansas was well-known for their bi-polar weather. Incredibly cool in the summer and close to hot in the winter. Wasn’t it just eighty degrees the previous week? He might have seen something that said the unbelievable drop in Kansas weather, but he couldn’t quite recall.

 

                Dean turned his head towards Gabriel. “Are we here?” He asked.

 

                Gabriel nodded. “Yeah, we’re here.” He said. “And, if I were you, I would put your coat on and zip up. I bet it’s freezing outside.” Gabriel reached back and grabbed both his coat and Dean’s coat. He handed Dean’s coat to him.

 

                Dean nodded as he accepted the coat. Both of them unbuckled their seatbelts and placed their coats on themselves. Afterwards, both of them got out of the car. They were careful as to not catch a patch of ice and slip.

 

                Gabriel and Dean made their way to the back of the car. Gabriel unlocked the trunk. He smiled once he saw Dean.

 

                “Don’t worry,” He said as he got the suitcases out of the trunk. “I can get the suitcases.”

 

                “Well,” Dean said. “Let me just get one. I can roll one and you can roll one.”

 

                Gabriel rolled his eyes. “Alright,” He said. “You can drag around your suitcase,” Gabriel said as he handed Dean the handle.

 

                Dean smiled lightly. “Thanks,” He said.

 

                “No problem,” Gabriel responded as he closed the trunk.

 

                With that, Gabriel grabbed Dean’s free hand with his own and they both walked up to the front door of the house. Gabriel would be lying if he said that he wasn’t the least bit nervous. He was beyond so, especially since Dean hadn’t talked about his family much, so he had no idea how to picture any of his family members.

 

                When they walked up to the front door, Dean chuckled. Gabriel turned his attention to his boyfriend. He blushed slightly when he noticed that he had tightened his grip on Dean’s hand. He loosened up slightly.

 

                “Don’t worry,” Dean said as he brought Gabriel’s hand up to his lips. “You’ll be fine. Just be yourself and they’ll absolutely love you.”

 

                Gabriel swallowed the lump that was in his throat as he nodded. He reached up to the door and knocked. Once he reached down and grabbed Dean’s hand, Dean squeezed his hand, giving him a reassuring smile. Gabriel let out a sigh and stood up straight.

 

                Sam was the one who answered the door, and when he did, Gabriel’s heart stopped.

 

                Dean’s brother was _huge_.

 

                Gabriel had to look up at him, and the action almost seemed like it was straining his neck. Sam had a wide smile as he glanced between Gabriel and his brother.

 

                “Great, you made it!” He exclaimed as he moved out of the way.

 

                Dean gave him a white smile as both he and Gabriel walked into the warm house. “Yeah man,” Dean said as he felt the cold air leave him. “It’s great to hear you up close.”

 

                “It’s great to freaking see you up close,” Sam said as he gave his brother a hug. Dean accepted the brotherly love. “Who’s this?” Sam turned his attention towards Gabriel.

 

                Dean smiled as he turned towards Gabriel. “Sam, this is Gabriel; my boyfriend. And Gabriel, this is my little brother Sam.”

 

                Sam reached his hand out and Gabriel took it immediately. “It’s nice to meet you,” Gabriel said. “Dean’s has told me a…little bit about you.”

 

                “Yeah, well, I wish I could say the same to you. Mr. I-keep-everything-to-myself over there doesn’t think it’s important to tell his little brother who he’s dating.” Sam said with a small smirk.

 

                Dean rolled his eyes. “Come on, it took you a while to tell me that you and Jess were a thing.” Dean said.

 

                “Dean, I told you three days after we got together. You told me…two…three weeks after you two did?”

 

                Dean rolled his eyes again and sighed. “Yeah, yeah, stop bitching,” Dean waved his brother off. “Where’s everyone else?”

 

                “They’re all in the kitchen.” Sam said. “Why don’t we drop your suitcases by the stairs and then we’ll go see them?”

 

                “Sounds good,” Dean said.

 

                They took their suitcases to the bottom of the stairs, then Gabriel and Dean followed Sam into the kitchen.

 

                “Who was at the door Sam?” A female voice asked.

 

                Dean smiled warmly as he recognized the voice as being his mother’s. Sam gave a small smile.

 

                “Oh, just some visitors.” Sam said as the three of them entered the kitchen.

 

                Gabriel got a good look at Dean’s family.

 

                He could only figure that the older blond woman was Dean’s mother. She didn’t look as old as she probably was, from the angle he was looking at anyway, but Gabriel was definitely able to see the age gap he and she had. Her long blond hair brushed past her shoulders and gently rested on her back. Her tone of voice seemed gentle, and kind.

               

                There was another male sitting at the dining room table. Gabriel figured that it was Dean’s father. He was correct. If Gabriel had to guess, Dean’s father was either in his late-forties or his early fifties. He had almost a full beard with white hairs that blended into his natural dark brown hairs. His hair was also decently long hair that reached down to the middle of his neck. He seemed a lot rougher and, a lot scarier, than the mother looked.

 

                Dean’s father was talking to another blonde female. Gabriel figured that she was Sam’s girlfriend. Jess, was it? Her hair was slightly lighter than Dean’s mother’s. She was definitely younger than her as well, considering her, almost flawless, skin. However, Jess seemed to be a little paler than Dean’s mother was.

 

                Suddenly, Gabriel was ten times as nervous as he ever had been. A knot caught in his throat as his muscles tensed up.

 

                Dean’s mother turned her head towards the three of them. A wide, gaping smile appeared on her face as she stared at her older son.

 

                “Dean?” She asked with a small tone, which caused Dean’s father’s and Jess’ conversation to cease.

 

                Dean gave a small smile. “Hey mom,” He said.

 

                Gabriel started to back up slightly as Mary walked up to Dean and gave him a hug. She was incredibly small compared to him. Dean’s smile was large as she pulled back. Gabriel backed up further once his father and Jess walked over to his boyfriend. All three of them took turns wrapping their arms around Dean, all of them saying how glad that they were that he was able to make it. Of course, Gabriel felt more uncomfortable then, he wasn’t even sure if Dean’s family had noticed him, but, of course, they did.

 

                Dean’s father and mother turned their attention to Gabriel, as well as Jess, who had moved over to stand by Sam. Gabriel’s heart stopped under their gaze. He was nervous. Alright, maybe that was a complete understatement. Gabriel was so nervous that he felt like his heart would cease to beat at any second. Well, there was no turning back.

 

                “Who’s this?” Dean’s mother asked.

 

                Dean swallowed visibly as he motioned for Gabriel to move closer to him, which he did. When Gabriel got close enough, Dean reached out and tangled his fingers with Gabriel’s. Gabriel glanced up at Dean for a split second before he focused his attention back on Dean’s family.

 

                “Mom, Dad,” Dean started. “This is Gabriel, my boyfriend. We’ve been dating for two or…three weeks now.”

 

                Gabriel looked down at the ground once he saw the shocked looks on both of Dean’s parent’s faces. They both just stared at Gabriel for, what seemed like, an eternity. Finally, a smile broke on Dean’s mother’s face. She reached out a hand towards Gabriel.

 

                “It’s so nice to meet you,” She said. Gabriel accepted her hand and shook it. “I’m Mrs. Winchester, but you can call me Mary. I’m not very formal.” She shook her head. “And this is my husband, John.” She placed her hand on John’s chest.

 

                Gabriel reached his hand out towards John, which he accepted. “Nice to meet you,” John said.

 

                “Nice to meet you too sir.” Gabriel responded.

 

                John placed his hand down at his side before he turned back around, heading towards the kitchen counters. Mary gave a small sigh and rolled her eyes. She looked at Gabriel. “Don’t mind him,” She said lightly. “Anyway, I’m so glad that you could make it, both of you. Dinner will be ready shortly. I’ll set two more places up for you guys.”

 

                Gabriel smiled as Mary turned away and walked further into the kitchen until she was standing next to her husband. Next, Jess came over and held out her hand towards Gabriel, which he immediately took. Jess looked nice, so he didn’t feel so uncomfortable around her.

 

                “Hi,” She said. “I’m Jessica, but everyone just calls me Jess.”

 

                “It’s nice to meet you Jess,” Gabriel said.

 

                “Nice to meet you too.”

 

                Gabriel smiled as he placed his hand back at his side. He turned and glanced at Dean, who was facing Gabriel with a smile on his face.

 

                “Why don’t you boys go and unpack in Dean’s old room?” Mary asked as she turned around. “I’ll call you down when supper is ready if you’re not down before then.”

 

                “Okay mom.” Dean said.

 

                Sam walked over to Gabriel and Dean. “Do you guys need any help…or…?”

 

                Dean shook his head, as well as Gabriel. “No thanks, we got it.” Dean said.

 

                Sam nodded before he and Jess went over to the dining room table. Gabriel and Dean walked back to the bottom of the stairs.

 

                “I got the suitcases,” Gabriel said.

 

                Dean glanced at Gabriel with a small smirk on his face. “Are you sure you can get both of them?” He asked.

 

                Gabriel rolled his eyes. “Yeah, I at least have the strength to carry two suitcases filled with clothes up a flight of stairs, thank you.” Gabriel chuckled, as did Dean.

 

                Gabriel grabbed both of the suitcases by the handles as he and Dean walked up the stairs. Without a word, Dean led Gabriel to a room that Gabriel could only figure was his. Dean smiled as he stood in the center of the room.

 

                “After years,” He started. “I still remember every inch of this place,” He began to walk around. “It’s as if I never actually left.”

 

                Gabriel smirked as he got a good look around the room. It was a decent sized room with a full sized bed that had two nightstands on either side of it. One nightstand had a lamp while the other was bare. There were some items scattered around, some that Gabriel figured Dean wanted to leave behind while he was at college. He figured he didn’t need, or maybe want, them. There was a large bookshelf with nothing but records scattered around it, as well as an old timey record player that was found on the bottom shelf. Gabriel smiled lightly as he walked over and placed the suitcases on the bed.

 

                “Why didn’t you take your records with you when you went off to college?” Gabriel asked as he leaned up against the cases.

 

                Dean gave a small shrug as he shook his head. “I honestly don’t know,” He said. “I guess I thought that the music would be too loud and the dorm manager would have my ass for it.”

 

                “You were right about that…” Gabriel mumbled, causing Dean to snicker.

 

                “Yeah, he’s a mean old Scrooge, isn’t he?” Dean asked as he walked over to Gabriel.

 

                “Sure is…”

 

                Dean frowned lightly. “Now, do you mind if we…share a bed? Or do you want me to get a sleeping bag or…?” Dean asked, completely unsure of his boyfriend’s response.

 

                Gabriel stopped. True, he had thought about it, and it seemed to him like it wasn’t such a big deal, but he wanted Dean to feel comfortable as well. “Well, do you have a problem with sharing?” Gabriel asked.

 

                Dean shook his head. “Not at all, really.” He said. “What about you?”

 

                “I think we should give it a shot. If we at all feel uncomfortable with it, then we can do something tomorrow. How does that sound?”

 

                Dean nodded. “Sounds great,” Dean said with a smile.

 

                “Alright,” Gabriel opened up the suitcases. “Do you want to leave our clothes in the suitcases…or…?”

 

                “Yeah, they’re fine in there.” Dean said as he sat at the corner of his bed.

 

                Gabriel nodded as he closed the suitcases back up and sat down on the bed right next to Dean. They both sat there, quietly. Gabriel rested his elbows on top of his knees and closed his hands together.

 

                “Your dad hates me,” Gabriel said flatly.

 

                Dean sighed. “No, he doesn’t. He’s just…not used to you, that’s all.” Dean said.

 

                “Dean, he had the worst tone with me.”

 

                “Trust me, he could be worse.”

 

                Gabriel sighed and placed both of his hands on his face. Dean sighed as well. He scooted closer to Gabriel and wrapped one of his arms around him, bringing Gabriel closer to him.

 

                “Look, he’s a really nice guy when you get to know him.” Dean said. “I promise he’ll get better, okay? Just give him a chance and he’ll warm up to you before you know it!”

 

                Gabriel sighed as he snuggled closer to Dean. “Alright,” Gabriel mumbled lightly as he took his hands away from his face and wrapped both of his arms around Dean. “Yeah, I’ll give it a shot. I just…have to avoid screwing up.”

 

                Dean rolled his eyes. “You’ll be fine. Just be yourself.”

 

                “What if I am and they don’t like me for who I am?”

 

                Dean smirked. “Well, I sure as hell do.” Dean said. “More than like…”

 

                It was Gabriel’s turn to smirk as he looked up at Dean. He wrapped his arms around him tightly and brought him in for a hug, burying his face in the crook of his neck. Dean smiled as he hugged back.

 

                “Boys!” Mary yelled from downstairs. “Supper!”

 

                “That sure was fast,” Gabriel said as he and Dean broke apart and stood up from their spot on the bed.

 

                Dean nodded. “Yeah, but I’m starving.”

 

                “What are we even eating?”

 

                “Pasta, I think.”

 

                “Smell?”

 

                Dean nodded. “Yeah, you didn’t notice?”

 

                “I normally focus on one thing at a time, and meeting your family for the first time took up most of my focus.”

 

                Dean rolled his eyes. “You really are a smartass, aren’t you?” He asked with a small laugh.

 

                Gabriel shrugged. “It’s a habit.”

 

                With a chuckle, both men made their way downstairs.

 

                Everyone was sitting at the dinner table. Dean and Gabriel sat on one side and Sam and Jess sat on the other while John and Mary sat at the heads. Gabriel and Jess were sitting closer to Mary while Dean and Sam sat close to John. It was silent from Gabriel’s part for some part of the meal.

 

                “So, how’re your classes going?” Mary asked no one in particular.

 

                Dean smirked. “You guys should probably get this one,” He said to Sam and Jess as he took a drink.

 

                Sam smirked as he looked towards his mother. “Classes are…ugh…classes are great, actually. Finals were a bust though.” Sam said.

 

                Jess and Dean both chuckled. “No kidding,” Dean said as he took a bite of the pasta.

 

                “Talk about stressful.” Jess cut in. “But, my classes are actually going really well too.”

 

                “That’s good to hear,” Mary said. “What about you boys?” She turned her attention to Dean and Gabriel.

 

                Dean smiled. “Classes are fantastic. Like Sam said, finals sucked, but, other than that, they are going good. I learned the parts of one motorcycle and two cars. I’m hoping to each have five or so by the end of next semester.” Dean said.

 

                Gabriel saw as John smiled widely and patted his son on the back. “That’s impressive.” He said. “Hell, better than I would have ever done.”

 

                Dean flashed a white smile at the compliment. Mary had a small smile that was on her face. She then turned to Gabriel.

 

                “What about you Gabriel? What are you going to school for?” She asked.

 

                “Um,” Gabriel said, placing his hands in his lap. “I’m getting a degree in medicine, but I’m not entirely sure what I want to do after that. Maybe a surgeon?”

 

                “Ooh,” Mary awed. “I bet those classes are pretty difficult.”

 

                Gabriel shrugged. “Usually as the classes start out, but, when I get used to them, then they seem to be pretty easy as the year goes on.”

 

                “That’s good, that’s good.” Mary took a bite of her pasta.

 

                The rest of the evening seemed quiet, the awkward conversation between people, except John. He seemed completely uninterested in any of the talk that was given throughout the night especially towards Gabriel. Gabriel didn't seem to mind, however, because he was too busy in conversations with everyone else. He seemed to automatically exclude John.

 

                By the end of the night, Dean and Gabriel were settling for bed. Dean had already gotten completely ready. Gabriel still had to brush his teeth. After asking where the bathroom was located, he went and got ready for bed.

 

                Gabriel didn’t mean to eavesdrop.

 

                It was just the situation where the supposed-to-be-private conversation turned into something that, if said any louder, the entire house would be able to hear. So, it wasn’t Gabriel’s fault, right?

 

                “John, I can’t believe you acted like that in front of Gabriel.” Mary said with a sigh.

 

                “Like what? Surprised that, after all these years, I find out today that my son is gay? And immediately after bringing home someone that we were never told about?” John almost shouted.

 

                “John!” Mary scolded. “We have every right to be surprised. Heck, I was surprised at first, but completely ignoring him and not even giving him a chance…”

 

                “I’m giving him a chance by him staying here over Christmas.”

 

                “Come on John, when have you talked to him?”

 

                “I’ve talked to him.”

 

                “Yeah, once.”

 

                John grumbled as he stomped around in the kitchen for a while.

 

                “John, honey,” Mary said. “Come on, this is the first time that, at least, I have seen Dean completely happy after the accident. Don’t you want him to be like that all the time?”

 

                “You know I do Mary.” John replied.

 

                “Well then, why don’t you give Gabriel a chance? If he makes Dean happy, then we should be happy, and at least give him a chance.”

 

                John sighed. “What if he hurts Dean?”

 

                “Stop it,” Mary said. “Dean’s a grown man. He can take care of his own problems.”

 

                John let out another sigh, this one heavier than the last. “Okay,” He said. “I’ll give it a shot.”

 

                “All I’m asking is that you at least talk to the boy. Seriously, he seems like a sweet kid.” Mary told him.

 

                “Yeah, yeah, alright.” John said.

 

                Gabriel swallowed the lump that had formed in his throat as he went to the bathroom, brushed his teeth, then went back into the bedroom with Dean. Dean was already laying down on his side, the lights turned off, but it was still light enough that Gabriel was able to see. He walked closed the door, walked over to the bed, and climbed it.

 

                Dean felt the bed dip in front of him. He smiled lightly as he scooted closer to Gabriel and wrapped one of his arms around Gabriel’s middle. He felt Gabriel tense and frowned.

 

                “Is this… okay?” He asked hesitantly.

 

                Gabriel gave him a small nod. “Yeah, that’s…that’s fine. Promise.” Gabriel replied as he scooted even closer to Dean.

 

                Dean smiled lightly as he settled back down, relaxing into the mattress. The steady breathing and movement from Gabriel was something that he could get used to. It seemed like it was going to be easy to lull him to sleep.

 

                Gabriel didn’t want to tell Dean about the conversation he overheard his parents having, but he smiled lightly at the thought of Mary defending him, but it soon went away right when he realized that John hated him. Well, not completely, he just wasn’t sure. At least, according to Mary. Gabriel figured that he should just let things play through for the next couple of days and, if things get any worse or don’t get better, then he would have a talk with Dean about it. But, until then, he would just rather lay down in his boyfriend’s arms. It was immediately when they got comfortable that Gabriel had thought that being snuggled up in Dean’s arms was his new favorite thing.

 

                Gabriel snuggled closer to Dean. “Good night Dean,” He said.

 

                Dean smiled. “Good night Gabriel.” Dean replied.

 

                With the feeling of Dean’s breathing and warm arms as well as the sound and feeling of Gabriel’s smooth, steady breathing, both Dean and Gabriel were successful in falling into a comfortable sleep.


	12. What should I get...?

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Christmas is just around the corner, and guess what? Of course, Gabriel doesn't have anything for Dean. But, don't worry, Sam is there to save the day!

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Honestly, the summary is supposed to sound bad, but it's really well written, why not just read? ;)

It was five days until Christmas and about a week since everyone arrived at the Winchester household. Gabriel’s relationship with John, he thought, had gotten better. They talked here and there, and the tone that John had with Gabriel the very first day they met was gone. He seemed, a lot better. Gabriel wouldn’t say kind per say, but it was a more…gentle tone. Yeah, that’s a more accurate word.

The first week wasn’t very eventful, just some days full of conversation and Christmas movie marathons. Gabriel got to know everyone better, including John. He found out that Sam was studying to become a lawyer. He found out where Jess’ studies where taking her but he, honestly, forgot, much to his dismay. Gabriel found out that Dean got his cooking skills from his mother, because that woman really knew how to cook, and that, no matter how many times Dean had told him, he got his liking for mechanics from his father, because John just seemed to like to ramble on and on about his black car.

 

                John showed Gabriel the car once. For a car that was built in the late 1960s, Gabriel had to agree that the car seemed to be in good, to perfect, condition. No, he wouldn’t drive it, despite the condition it was in. Gabriel just loved his car more than John’s. Of course, he would never say that to his face, just think about it. Hell that was dangerous enough, at least in Gabriel’s opinion. He was already partly on John’s bad side, and telling him bad things about his car could only dig the hole that Gabriel was in a little deeper.

 

                However, Gabriel had nothing sever to complain about. Dean’s family was very…nice, which only got him concerned as to why Dean never actually talked about them. Could it have been the fact that he hadn’t been home ever since he went to college? He wasn’t sure, and he felt that it was something that he needed to ask Dean about, but at a later time.

 

                At the moment, Gabriel, Sam, and Jess were all sitting down in the living room, watching “ _It’s A Wonderful Life”_ on the television. Dean was in the kitchen with his mother, and John was god-only-knows-where, it never really crossed Gabriel’s mind, which was how he liked it. When the movie went to commercial, Jess went into the kitchen. It was then that Sam turned his attention towards Gabriel.

 

                “Hey Gabriel…” Sam said, making Gabriel turn his head towards the tall Winchester.

 

                “Yeah?” Gabriel said, crossing his right leg over his left leg.

 

                “I was thinking; it’s close to Christmas and, to be honest, I don’t have a gift for Jess yet, so, I was wondering if you wanted to go to the store with me? I don’t know if you have anything picked out for Dean yet…or if you were going to get him something…but…?”

               

                Gabriel’s eyes widened. It was close to Christmas, wasn’t it? He hadn’t even thought about getting Dean something for the holidays, but he would be lying if he said he didn’t even want to get him something. Of course he wanted to get him something! But…what?

 

                Gabriel nodded. “Yeah, you know, it never actually crossed my mind, but I do want to get him something. But…” Gabriel rubbed the back of his neck. “I just don’t know what.”

 

                “Well, maybe I could help you there.” Sam smiled. “That way I can talk Jess into taking Dean to another store. How does that sound?”

 

                Gabriel didn’t think about it for more than a second. He nodded in agreement. “Yeah, that sounds good.” He said with a small smile. “When are you thinking about leaving?”

 

                “How about after the movie?”

 

                Gabriel nodded. “Sounds like a plan,” He said.

 

                Jess entered the room again just as the commercials were over. She walked back over to her boyfriend and settled down on the couch, snuggling close to Sam. Gabriel watched as the two of them snuggled together for a minute before glancing down at the ground, then glancing at the television. The three of them watched the remaining bits of the movie, excluding the moments when the commercials came on. It was then when the three of them just sat there and chatted. Sam brought up the store to Jess, but in a small, hushed tone, as if he thought Gabriel couldn’t hear him. Man, was he wrong. But Jess completely agreed to take Dean to the store, which made Gabriel smile lightly.

 

                The movie was over, and the four of them went to go get ready. Gabriel had decided that he and Sam were going to take his car while Jess and Dean took Sam’s. Gabriel was the one to bring up Sam driving, considering that he had no idea how to make his way around the small Kansas town. At the door, Sam gave Jess a kiss on the lips and Gabriel gave Dean a kiss on the cheek farewell as both pairs got into their designated cars. Sam was the first one to back out of the driveway, driving down the road, and Jess was the second, driving in the opposite direction of Sam and Gabriel.

 

                Gabriel gave a light sigh as they left the neighborhood and went into downtown Lawrence. While they were driving, Gabriel would look around at the different stores and restaurants that were around.

 

                “Do you have any idea what you’re getting Dean?” Sam asked.

 

                Gabriel glanced at Sam before shaking his head. “No, not really.” Gabriel, again, rubbed the back of his neck a little nervously. “I mean, I know he likes cars and…classic rock.”

 

                “There’s a music store here somewhere. Maybe you can get him some CDs, you know, instead of those old ass records that he has in his room.” Sam smirked lightly.

 

                “What about some…wrenches or something? Something that he can work on cars with at school.” Gabriel said.

 

                Sam smirked. “Good thinking. Music store or hardware store first?”

 

                Gabriel shrugged his shoulders. “I really don’t care. It’s up to you.”

 

                “Hardware store it is.” Sam said, making a turn.

 

                Gabriel gave a small smile towards the youngest Winchester as they both drove through the town. Both of them were silent until they got to the nearest hardware store. Gabriel forgot the name of it, but that didn’t seem relevant to him at the moment. Sam parked the car and both of them walked into the store. Once they got inside, Gabriel’s mind went blank.

 

                He had no idea what kind of tools Dean would need to work on the cars at school. He figured Sam would know. Wouldn’t he?

 

                After wandering down the isles for a while, Gabriel let out a small sigh. “What should I get him?” Gabriel grumbled.

 

                “You said wrenches in the car, right?” Sam asked.

 

                Gabriel nodded. “Yeah, but what kind?”

 

                “Well,” Sam said as he tapped his chin. “There’s a large container of them right here.” He said as he took one off the shelf. He studied the label. “Yeah, it seems like something he would like. I mean, there are about twenty in here.”

 

                “Really?” Gabriel glanced at the label. After studying it for a while, he nodded. “Alright, let’s get it.”

 

                Sam smirked slightly as the two of them made their way up to the cash register. Gabriel paid the total and the two of them left. The next store they went to was the music store, where Gabriel picked up several classic rock CDs. There was AC/DC, Led Zeppelin, Metallica, and many more. After they had gotten the CDs, the got back in the car and began to drive.

 

                “What are you planning on getting Jess for Christmas?” Gabriel asked as he glanced over at Sam.

 

                Sam smiled lightly. “A necklace.” He said.

 

                “A necklace?”

 

                Sam nodded. “Yeah. She doesn’t own that much jewelry, so, I figured that she would like a necklace or so.”

 

                Gabriel gave a small nod as he watched out the window as he and Sam drove through the busy streets of Lawrence. They had arrived at the jewelry store. Gabriel was surprised at the wide variety of items that were shown on display, and he was equally surprised at the, almost, inexpensive prices. He sure has seen more expensive objects, but the jewels seemed to look just as glamorous as the more expensive ones. He highly doubted they were all one-hundred percent real though.

 

                In Gabriel’s personal opinion, the necklace that Sam was buying Jess was absolutely beautiful. It was completely silver. The heart shaped pendant at the end of the chain was stunning. Each side of the heart was twisted once. It had small diamonds on each side of it and the point in the middle of the heart was curved. Gabriel figured that, no matter what, Jess would absolutely love the present.

 

                “That is quite a stunning necklace,” Gabriel said as Sam handed the woman the money in his hand. “Perfect choice.”

 

                Sam smiled as he looked down at Gabriel. “You really think so? You think she’ll like it?” He asked, glancing down at the pricy piece of jewelry.

 

                Gabriel nodded. “If I’m in awe at the necklace, then she’ll be in awe for sure.”

 

                The cashier gave Sam his change back. Afterwards, he and Gabriel got in the car and headed on home. It wasn’t a long way from the middle of town back to the Winchester home, but it was enough time for Gabriel and Sam to have a conversation started.

 

                “So, how did you and my brother meet?” Sam asked with a small smirk on his lips.

 

                “Well, um, we first met one morning before class. Some…douchebags tripped Dean and…I walked over and helped him up.” Gabriel said.

 

                Sam frowned. “Like, did they trip him on purpose…or…?” Sam asked skeptically.

 

                Gabriel nodded. “From what I could tell, yes. And they were calling him such rude names like…white eyes.”

 

                Sam flinched slightly at the name, but tried not to make it visible. His brother was being bullied? How could he not have told him anything? Sam hasn’t heard anything about Dean being bullied since his high school years.

 

                Those times were bad.

 

                And they were bad enough. There were so many days when Dean would either come home with the reddest eyes are in a full blown sob that he, obviously, couldn’t hide. Of course, there were times when Sam was bullied throughout his school years, but he figured he would never feel the way Dean felt when he had come home from school. Sam knew he felt ashamed, embarrassed, emotions on which he shouldn’t have felt. It wasn’t Dean’s fault he was blind.

 

                There were many nights when Sam would follow Dean to his room and, if his brother hadn’t bothered to lock the door, he would walk in and do his best to comfort his brother, even though most of the time he had no idea what to say. He would either just sit there, rubbing Dean’s back and shushing him, trying to keep Dean’s cries to a minimum, or he would try to mumble the most encouraging words to his big brother that he could think of right at the top of his head.

 

                Sam wondered how much pain he was in at college. He would have left if it got too bad, right? Then again, he had never heard his brother say anything about transferring schools when they were younger. Was Dean afraid? As much as Sam would hate to admit it…he was slightly afraid as well. If his brother was being hurt, he felt he had to do something to protect him. Dean would do the same for him. Right? Sam figured that he would just have to think about it some more.

 

                “Thank you…” Sam said, causing Gabriel to turn towards him. “For actually helping him up.”

 

                Gabriel swallowed. “Um, it was nothing, really. Like I said, those guys were douchebags anyway.”

 

                “Yeah,” Sam said, keeping his eyes glued to the road. “Do you know if he’s been in any…physical fights?”

 

                “Not that he’s told me. Why?”

 

                Sam let out a small growl as he glanced towards Gabriel, then quickly back at the road. He then shook his head. “Never mind.” He replied.

 

                With a skeptical look, Gabriel turned his attention back to the scenery outside. The rest of the ride was silent between the two, only the humming of the car filling the air. The radio wasn’t even on. The air was heavy with tension that was, obviously, coming from the tall Winchester. Most of Gabriel really wanted to ignore the fact that Sam’s tight grip on the steering wheel and his intense stare at the road was freaking him the hell out, but, of course, he seemed to be completely unable to ignore him.

 

                Thankfully, they arrived at the house sooner than later. Jess and Dean weren’t back yet, which was a relief for Gabriel and Sam. They gave them both time to wrap their presents. It was also a relief when they entered the house, because it seemed like Sam’s attitude did a complete one-eighty. It seemed like, once he saw his mother’s face, he was all smiles and the attitude that he had in the car was completely forgotten. Thank God.

 

                Gabriel was excited to figure out that Mary and John had some wrapping paper left over from many Christmases ago. Gabriel just picked up one and walked into the kitchen. Sam said that the black box which the necklace originally came in was good enough for him. He said he would just place a bow on top of it if he thought he had to, you know, just to keep it festive.

 

                Mary was, thankfully, allowing Gabriel to use the dining room table for his wrapping, and she even offered to help with some of the wrapping. Gabriel had told her that he had hardly done any of the wrapping when he was young, so he hardly knew anything about, but it was still better than having the gift not wrapped at all. Hell, it was even better than it being wrapped in old newspapers.

 

                After the presents were successfully wrapped, Gabriel thanked Mary and took both of them up to the bedroom that he and Dean shared. Gabriel bit his lip and contemplated on where he would put the gifts. He could hide them under the bed, in the closet, or many other places. He smiled. His suitcase.

 

                Two days into the visit, Dean and Gabriel actually took their time to hang up their clothing into Dean’s old closet, which didn’t take as long as they were thinking. So, with all the clothes out of the way, Gabriel definitely had enough room to place the wrapped presents inside of his suitcase, which he did. Afterwards, he zipped it up.

 

                A part of Gabriel was excited for the upcoming holiday, and that, he could safely say, was something that he was never excited about, no matter what expensive product his father or brothers were planning of buying. The gifts never meant anything, not really, but he knew that with the feelings that he has towards Dean and the feelings that he thinks, and knows, Dean has towards him, that it was going to be a marvelous Christmas, one way or another.


	13. Let Me Show You

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Three days before Christmas and Mary has something special and fun planned...Ice Skating! However, Dean's never been. Will Gabriel coax him to get out onto the ice or will they stay at home, cuddling all day?

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I'm sorry it took me so long to get this out! I was just, distracted by life and stuff. I will have more time this weekend to write! I love you all!

It was three days until Christmas, and the snow outside wouldn’t stop falling. It seemed that it had begun through the night, when everyone was asleep, but the frozen specs were heavily falling down from the sky, successfully covering the ground. Nothing exciting had happened between anyone in the family within a day or so. So far, everything was perfectly fine. At the moment, Gabriel and Dean were sitting in the living room, television turned off, snuggled up next to each other, cup of hot chocolate in both their hands. Gabriel’s right arm was lazily laid on Dean’s shoulders while Dean had his head laid against Gabriel’s chest. The room was quiet, both of them completely unsure of where the other family members where, but neither of them caring at that very moment. They just felt like relaxing in each other’s arms, enjoying the moments that they had together. 

While it was such a comfortable spot, Gabriel didn’t seem to be too bothered when Mary came in. He was actually glad that it was Mary and not John. Mary was wearing a long sleeved, dark blue sweater, jeans, and brown boots. She was playing with her sleeves when she came in. 

“Hey boys,” She said. 

Both Gabriel and Dean smiled, adjusting their position so that they were both sitting up straight. Gabriel held his cup of hot chocolate with both of his hands then, successfully warming both of them up. Dean took a sip of his as he faced his mother. 

“Hey mom,” Dean said. 

“Hi Mrs. Winchester.” Gabriel said. 

“It’s Mary, Gabriel.” She said with a small smile. 

“Mom,” Dean said. “You know how awkward that must be to call you by your first name?” He let out a small laugh. 

Gabriel nodded as he took a sip of his drink. “It’s awkward.” Gabriel confirmed. 

Mary let out a small laugh as well as a sigh. “Well,” She began, “Missus makes me feel so old.” 

“Don’t worry,” Gabriel said. “You make up for that with your looks. You look really young.” 

Mary placed her right hand on her chest. “Thank you Gabriel. That made my day.” 

Gabriel shrugged. “It’s the truth.” 

Dean rolled his eyes as he drank his hot chocolate. Mary placed her hands on her hips and shifted on her feet. 

“Anyway,” She said. “The rest of us are planning on going to the Skating Rink and I was wondering if you two wanted to go?” 

Gabriel sat up and gave a small nod. “Sure,” He said, turning towards Dean. “What do you think?” 

Gabriel nor Mary noticed the sudden drop in Dean’s expression, but they both saw the aftermath, which made them both concerned and full of worried. Dean swallowed audibly as he nodded slowly. 

“Y-Yeah,” He said. “Yeah, that would be fun.” 

“Dean, you don’t have to go.” Mary said. 

“I said ‘yeah’.” 

Mary moved her eyes towards Gabriel and their eyes connected for a split second before looking back towards Dean. With a small nod, Mary took her hands off of her hips and placed them together. 

“Alright.” She said lightly. “We’ll be leaving in twenty minutes boys.” 

“Okay Mrs. Winchester.” Gabriel said with a nod. 

Mary gave Gabriel a smile as she began to rub her hands together. She turned and walked out of the room, leaving Gabriel and Dean back in the silence that they were once in. Once Gabriel turned his attention back to Dean, he saw that he was looking down into the cup he was still holding. Gabriel remembered his and placed it on the side table that rested right next to the couch. Afterwards, he placed his hand comfortingly on Dean’s knee, which caused Dean to jump lightly at the unexpected contact. 

“Dean what’s wrong?” Gabriel asked in a quiet voice. 

Dean shook his head. “Nothing.” He said. 

“You know; we don’t have to go if you don’t want to. We could just sit here all day, snuggled up together.” 

“But you want to.”

“I don’t if you don’t.” 

“I do.”

“Well,” Gabriel said. “You’re not very convincing.” 

“Gabriel, please.” Dean said as he lifted his head up, his white eyes somehow connecting with Gabriel’s whiskey ones. “I want to go.” 

Gabriel let out a small sigh and rubbed Dean’s knee lightly. “Alright. We’ll go, but you just tell me and we’ll come right on back, okay?” 

Dean nodded. “Okay, promise.” 

“Alright, let’s go get ready.” 

Gabriel and Dean had gone up and gotten ready, putting on warmer clothing. Afterwards, they met the rest of the family outside. Mary and John were by their car, which was right next to Gabriel’s, and Sam and Jess were right next to their car, which was parked right behind Gabriel’s. 

“So,” Gabriel said. “I’m just following, alright?” 

“Don’t worry,” Mary said. “It’s not that far from here.” 

Gabriel nodded. “Alright,” He said. “Sounds good.” 

With that, everyone got into their vehicles. First, Sam and Jess backed out, then Mary and John, and finally Gabriel and Dean. The car ride was awkwardly silent with Dean just staring out the passenger’s side window and Gabriel following closely behind Mary and John’s vehicle. When the car was in a halt, Gabriel would look towards Dean with a worried expression, but he still didn’t voice his concerns. 

It was five minutes into the ride when they arrived at the Library Lawn Skate Rink, which was located close to the Lawrence public library. Gabriel made sure to park close to the building as well as the rest of the family, which helped Dean with the walking situation and Gabriel as well, it being his first time there. 

The ice rink wasn’t terribly crowded, but it wasn’t empty either. There were about one or two couples on the ice, a group of, if Gabriel would had to guess, teenaged girls, and about three other people who were skating by themselves. The rink was large, though, and it could probably hold a couple of families on the ice if they were there.

Gabriel walked with Sam and John to get the ice skates, but not before asking Dean what his shoe size was. Once he knew, he got the skates and walked back over to Dean. He and Dean sat down on of the benches that was near the rink. They were both still silent as Gabriel handed Dean his own pair of skates and Gabriel began to put his on. Gabriel didn’t miss the expression that was on Dean’s face. Gabriel knew he was worried, maybe even a little scared, but he wasn’t sure why. 

“We’re heading onto the ice,” Sam said as he and the rest of them walked by. 

Gabriel had already placed his skates on his feet, and he gave them a little nod and watched as they all skated out into the center of the rink. It was then that Gabriel looked away, down at his white skates before he looked towards Dean, who was staring out towards the rink, not trying to focus on anything in particular. Gabriel turned his body towards Dean and gently placed his hand in Dean’s. 

“Dean,” He began. “What’s wrong?”

Dean turned his head towards Gabriel, and he couldn’t help but stare into his white eyes. No matter what other people might have said, he thought that those ‘white eyes’ were the most beautiful eyes he could have ever laid eyes on. 

Dean shook his head. “Nothing.” He replied with a confused look and a shrug. 

Gabriel knew better. “No.” His voice was stern and parent-like. “Dean, there’s something wrong.” 

“Gabriel, no there’s not.” 

“Dean,” Gabriel placed his other hand on top of Dean’s other hand, bringing both of them close to Gabriel’s body. “Please. I know there’s something wrong, just…tell me. I’m worried about you Dean.” 

Dean’s shoulders slump as he turns his head away from his boyfriend. “I don’t wanna be here.” Dean said in the smallest voice he could conjure up. 

Unfortunately, Gabriel was completely unable to hear anything that Dean had said. “What?” 

“I said ‘I don’t wanna be here’.” Dean said, turning back to Gabriel. 

Gabriel let out a sigh. “Dean,” His voice was whiny as he let go of Dean’s hand and rubbed his hand over his face. “Why didn’t you tell me?” 

“You wanted to come.” 

“I told you I didn’t mind. If you wanted to stay at the house and snuggle all day, I was fine with that! I told you!” 

“But you sounded like you really wanted to skate.” Dean said with a small frown on his face. 

“I did, but…” The heaviest sigh fell from Gabriel’s lips. “Do you want to go home?” 

Dean shook his head. “No.” 

“Dean.” 

“No.” 

“Alright then, if you don’t wanna go home, then why don’t we at least skate?” 

Gabriel felt Dean tense up at his offer. Before Dean could even open his mouth, Gabriel spoke. 

“You don’t know how to skate.” He simply said. 

Gabriel saw Dean swallow, his Adam’s apple moving with the action. It was then that Gabriel knew that he was correct. He let out a sigh as he bit his lip. He looked out onto the ice, finding Sam, Jess, Mary, and John. John and Mary were holding hands as well as Sam and Jess as they all skated in different parts of the rink. Gabriel’s eyes lightened up. 

“I can teach you.” Gabriel said. 

Dean’s eyes widened. “What?” He asked. 

“I can teach you how to ice skate!” Gabriel had a wide smile on his face. 

Dean rubbed the back of his head. “I don’t know Gabe. I’ve never done anything like that before.” 

“Please,” Gabriel pleaded as he moved closer to Dean, grasping his hands and bringing them close to his body. “If you don’t like it after five minutes or so, then we can get off. I promise.” 

Dean sat there, contemplating the offer that Gabriel had just laid down at the table. He bit his lower lip. After a while, he turned to Gabriel. He nodded. 

“Alright, five minutes.” He said. 

Gabriel couldn’t help but smile widely as he glanced down at the skates that he had handed Dean before. “Do you need help with the skates?” He asked in a sweet voice. 

Dean shook his head. “Can I try and put them on first?” 

“Okay,”

Gabriel knew that ice skates were, sort of, difficult to put on compared to the normal tennis shoe that people wear every day. Hell, he even had a hard time putting them on when he first went skating, then again he was a child. And it wasn’t as much putting them on as it was tying the damn things. Now, that was the most difficult thing he had to do when he was younger. 

Gabriel watched as Dean tried to put them on, which was absolutely no problem to Dean, it was just the tying that was the problem. The same problem Gabriel had the first time. He felt bad though, he could see Dean’s face turn pink after a while as he picked up the other one and placed it on his opposite foot. Afterwards, he leaned back, his cheeks completely flushed red out of embarrassment. Gabriel couldn’t help but smile. 

“Do you need help?” Gabriel asked, already reaching down towards the skates. 

Dean could only nod lightly, too shy to even speak. Gabriel got down on his knee in order to reach the laces. 

“Don’t worry,” He reassured the blind man. “The first time I wore these shoes it took me a while to tie them. They’re not the same as regular tennis shoes.” 

Dean, again, nodded, head turned away to try and hide his feelings. Gabriel kept his eyes on the laces as he tied each of them. When he finally finished tying them, he stood up from his position. 

“Alright,” Gabriel said as he grabbed Dean’s hand and assisted him with standing. “Come on.” 

Once again, Dean tensed up, Gabriel seeing the fear expressed on his boyfriend’s face. At that, Gabriel placed a hand on his back comfortingly. The hand seemed to cause Dean to relax slightly as the two of them made their way towards the ice. Gabriel was the first one to step onto the ice, but Dean hesitated before he did so, but with a little coaxing, he finally stepped out onto the rink. At first, Dean struggled to even stand, but Gabriel wrapped his arm around Dean’s torso. 

“It’s alright,” He said. “I got you.” His voice was just above a whisper. 

Dean held onto Gabriel tight enough that his knuckles were turning white. He turned his head towards Gabriel. “Please don’t let me fall.” His voice was shaky. 

Gabriel couldn’t help but smile as he tightened his grip on the large man. “Don’t worry.” Gabriel said. “I promise I won’t let go.” 

He moved away from Dean, still holding onto his hands as he moved. He was then skating backwards, watching as Dean kept his legs still as he moved across the ice. Dean let out a shaky breath. 

“Alright,” Gabriel began. “I want you to start stepping.” 

“Gabriel…”

“Please Dean, I know you can do it.” 

Dean closed his eyes and let out a breath before he nodded. He then began to move his legs. 

“That’s it…” Gabriel encouraged. “Now when you step down, gently glide your foot back and repeat it for the other foot as well.” 

Dean nodded once again as he did as Gabriel instructed, gliding his feet across the ice. It wasn’t perfect, but he was still skating. Gabriel smiled as he watched Dean’s feet, occasionally glancing behind him to make sure he didn’t run into anyone. 

“Good Dean!” Gabriel praised. 

As they kept going, Gabriel was mostly focusing on the way Dean moved his feet compared to the people that they both passed while they skated around the rink. There were sometimes when he could hear the conversations from John and Mary or Sam and Jess as they skated along, which was when Gabriel would look up and catch someone’s eyes, it didn’t matter who, but they seemed to be smiling. Gabriel wasn’t entirely sure what they were smiling about, but it made him smile as well. 

After a while, Dean’s movements got more and more flawless and graceful, which Gabriel praised him about as he watched him progress. For about thirty minutes, maybe more, Gabriel had lost count, Gabriel would switch up his skating position, from skating backwards to holding his hand and skating right beside him. Finally, Gabriel decided that he should see how comfortable Dean was with being on the ice. 

“I’m going to let go of your hands now,” Gabriel said. 

Dean’s eyes widened. “Gabriel…” His voice was soft. 

“Just trust me. I wouldn’t let anything happen to you.” 

With a breath, Dean nodded. “Alright.” He agreed. 

“Okay,” Gabriel said. “I’m going to let go.”

“Okay,” 

Gabriel slowly let go his hands slide from Dean’s grip, and Dean didn’t seem to want to let Gabriel’s hands go, but he did anyway. He had to admit that he did trust Gabriel, to an extent, but he still trusted him enough for something like that. 

Gabriel watched as Dean moved his arms to his side, balancing himself as he continued to move his feet in the same fashion that he had before. Gabriel watched in astonishment as Dean got comfortable with skating by himself, soon standing up straight and moving more and more gracefully. 

“Turn left slightly.” Gabriel said as they began to make a turn around the oval shaped rink. 

When Dean did so successfully, Gabriel felt completely proud of himself and of Dean, but mostly of Dean. It was then when he saw Dean smile widely, and that only made his smile go as wide as it has ever gone before. 

They skated until they got to the entrance of the rink, once they were there, Gabriel told Dean to go ahead and skate towards the wall, which he did and both of them came to a halt. Dean was panting, his head beating a million miles an hour at both the horror of the situation and the excitement of the situation. There was a part of him that was absolutely horrified throughout the entire experience, but the feeling that overpowered that horrific feeling in the pit of his stomach was the overwhelming excitement from the thought and the feeling of him actually doing something by himself. 

Gabriel placed his hand on Dean’s left shoulder. “You did well.” He said. “I’m so proud of you.” 

Dean’s cheeks turned pink slightly. “Thanks. Thank you for showing me. I…never thought that I would do anything like that.” Dean said.

“See, I knew you could do it. You can do anything you put your mind to Dean. People like us, we’re not any more normal than everyone else. We just have different challenges.” 

Dean nodded. “True. We’re normal people.” He agreed. 

“We’re a normal couple.” 

“Definitely a normal couple.” Dean said as he got closer to Gabriel. 

Gabriel wrapped his arm around Dean’s torso and kissed Dean on the cheek. He then laid his head on Dean’s shoulder. 

“Hey you two love birds!” Sam called out as he and Jess skated over to them. “We’re planning on going to Minsky’s for lunch, you wanna come along?” 

Gabriel faced Dean. “What do you think Dean? Are you up for some pizza?” 

“Pizza sounds freaking amazing right now.” He said with a small laugh. 

“Alright, mom and dad said that they’d meet us there and that they were going to skate for a little while longer.” Sam said as he and Jess got off the ice, followed by Gabriel and Dean. 

Dean nodded. “Alright.” 

Sam and Jess gave their skates back as well as Dean and Gabriel, Dean taking the shoes off with ease that time. The four of them made it out to the cars, Sam leading the way once again as they all drove to the restaurant. They went and found a seat, sitting down, Jess and Sam on one side and Dean and Gabriel on the other, leaving two extra seats for John and Mary when they eventually arrived. The waiter came around and all four of them ordered their drinks. They had small talk while they waited for their drinks to arrive. Once they did, the waiter asked them for their order. They figured that John and Mary would be there momentarily, so they decided to order then. 

“Do you like meat-lovers?” Gabriel asked Dean.

Dean smirked. “I love meat-lovers.” He replied, which caused Gabriel to smile. 

“We’ll have the meat-lovers pizza then.” Gabriel told the waiter. 

They placed their order and, sure enough, Mary and John had arrived after they ordered. Thankfully they caught the waiter’s eye so he could come around and take their order as well, which he didn’t seem too irritated about, which was a good thing in everyone’s eyes. No one needs to have their pizza spat on by a rude waiter. 

There was no certain topic that everyone didn’t talk about. It seemed that there was an endless amount of conversations to be held by the family as they both waited for their food and ate. Everyone got involved in the conversations, including John, who had gotten better with his behavior towards Gabriel and, seeing him help his son earlier at the ice rink really seemed to push Gabriel farther and farther on John’s good side, where Gabriel desperately longed to be. Even if he didn’t say it, he still wanted John to like him, even though he could be a disrespectful ass at times, Gabriel figured that he still meant well. 

Saying that the pizza was delicious was a huge understatement. Both Gabriel and Dean thought that the pizza was magnificent, almost like they’ve never had anything better tasting then Minsky’s Pizza. So, they carefully devoured the food, taking in every last bite of the doughy delicacy until every last bit of the pizza was gone. 

The entire family went home after they ate, each couple driving back in their own vehicle. Gabriel held Dean’s hand the entire ride back to the house, their fingers lazily intertwined together. At some point, Dean had brought Gabriel’s hand up towards his head and gently kissed the back of it, which caused Gabriel to turn away from the road and give a small, warm, and loving smile towards Dean. 

When they got to the house, each couple was having their own conversation, blocking out the presence of every other human that was near them. Mary and John went into the kitchen, Sam and Jessica went upstairs, and Dean and Gabriel went into the living room. The hot chocolate that they were drinking before was old, and far from being hot. It would probably taste more like cold, melted cocoa powder if anyone was to take a drink. 

They didn’t bother to notice the cups as they cuddled back up on the couch once more, in a similar position that they were in before they left. They had their outdoor clothes still on, coat, shoes, everything, but the ignored the articles of clothing and just focused on being able to be close to each other, to be able to touch one another. 

The low hum of the furnace and the, almost quiet, distant conversation between John and Mary coming from the kitchen was the only sound that filled the living room, and they both loved it. Dean’s head was resting on top of Gabriel’s chest so that he was able to hear his heartbeat. He was convinced that the sound could be like a therapy to anyone who sat down and listened to it because of how relaxed he got each time he would hear the organ. Dean wasn’t entirely sure if it was just because it came from his boyfriend or what, but he wanted to lean towards it being that and, with the small sound, he knew that his boyfriend was next to him, beside him, touching him, and he loved it. 

Gabriel placed a chaste kiss on the top of Dean’s head, into his hair, where the snow that had once fallen had soon become a memory and all that was left was the melted water, which coated Gabriel’s lips, causing a shiver to go down his spine. With his thumb, he gently rubbed the cool coat that Dean was still wearing, successfully spreading the water all along Dean’s arm, but it seemed to vanish soon afterwards. 

Gabriel’s eyes drooped shut, the intense smell of Dean and the overwhelming heat that was coming from the furnace gently coaxed Gabriel to the verge of slumber, but he never entirely planned on going all the way. He wanted to rest his eyes, especially after the long day that everyone had. 

He didn’t go through with it, falling asleep. At least, while Dean was awake. So he just stayed there, Dean in his arms. He was entirely convinced that, through the time that they sat there, Dean fell asleep for a good five minutes or more, which Dean would have been more than happy to argue with if he was told, so Gabriel ignored it and only pulled Dean closer, almost making it so that their faces were pressed up against each other so much that it would leave wrinkles on their skin. 

When Dean did go to sleep though, Gabriel thought he should too, so that was what he did. He laid his head down on the top of Dean’s, closed his eyes, and fell asleep.


	14. Merry Christmas

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> The Winchester family wakes up on Christmas day and exchange gifts.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> (Really) Late Christmas Gift

The moon vanished and the sun shone through the scattered grey clouds in the sky, lighting up the white show that blanketed the ground. It was Christmas morning, around nine-thirty, when Gabriel shifted awake, the bright light shining through Dean’s window and into Gabriel’s eyes. Gabriel groaned as he shut his eyes tightly, shifting so the light was no longer hitting his irises. Gabriel’s back was facing the light then and he was able to tiredly look at Dean’s clothed back that was facing him.

Gabriel smiled as he began scooting closer to his boyfriend, the bed squeaking with his movements. Gabriel laid his arm across Dean’s torso, moving even closer until his front is flushed against Dean’s back. With Gabriel’s opposite hand, he ran his fingers through Dean’s dirty blonde, short, hair, stroking it gently. Dean shifted lightly with a small groan. His eyes opened lazily and he yawned. Gabriel exhaled as he lifted himself up on his elbow so that he was looking at Dean’s face.

 

                “Morning.” Gabriel said lightly.

 

                Dean groaned and closed his eyes again. “What time is it?” He slurred.

 

                Gabriel looked over at the digital alarm clock that was sitting on Dean’s bedside table. “Nine-thirty-five.” He replied.

 

                “Too early.”

 

                “No it’s not.” Gabriel said. “It’s never too early for Christmas.” Gabriel said.

 

                “Christmas?”

 

                “Merry Christmas.”

 

                Dean turned so he was facing Gabriel, a small smile on his face and his eyes halfway opened, the lids hanging down lazily. Gabriel placed his arms on Dean’s waist and Dean had his arms on Gabriel’s torso, almost like what Gabriel’s arm was like earlier. They just laid there, forehead against forehead, feeling each other’s breath on their faces. Gabriel gave Dean a kiss on the cheek before he snuggled up under the crook of his neck. Gabriel groaned.

 

                “You’re so comfortable.” Gabriel said.

 

                Dean chuckled. “You are too.” He replied.

 

                They stayed there until the clock read ‘nine-forty-five’ and right after Gabriel let out a yawn. Afterwards, they both parted. Gabriel rolled over to his side of the bed and bent his back and stretched his arms, letting the tense muscles relax before he let his limbs come to rest by his tired body. Dean yawned and stretched as well. Gabriel swung his legs over the side of the bed and rolled his shoulders.

 

                “I’m going to get dressed.” Dean said as he stood up from the bed.

 

                Gabriel nodded as he did the same. “Alright.” He replied. “I’ll be right back.”

 

                With a small nod, Dean walked over to the closet and Gabriel left the room. Dean had dressed in a dark red flannel shirt with a grey t-shirt underneath as well as dark blue jeans. Dean rolled up the sleeves of the shirt up to his elbows and reached up to the top shelf of the closet. There, a plastic Walmart bag as well as a large plastic gift bag which, he hoped, was out of sight whenever Gabriel would have gone into the closet. Taking the gifts, he left the room and headed downstairs, praying that Gabriel was unable to see him.

 

                After Gabriel had used the bathroom, he went back to the bedroom, taking note that Dean was no longer in the room. He figured he would have gone downstairs, so Gabriel took the time to go and get into his suitcase. He wrapped the box of wrenches, but he didn’t bother with the CDs. He only took the bag that they were in a tied the top of it. When he got the presents, Gabriel zipped up his bag and placed them on the bed. He then went to the closet and got dressed in a plain t-shirt and blue jeans.

 

                Trying to be as quiet as he could, Gabriel walked out of the room and closed the door. Immediately, the smell of breakfast filled his nostrils. He stopped to take an inhale and savor the smell of the food from downstairs. Gabriel sighed as his mouth watered. He then casually made his way down the stairs. In the living room, John, Jess, and Sam were all sitting down on either of the couches and talking about god-only-knows-what. So Gabriel could only figure that Mary, and possibly Dean, was in the kitchen.

 

                Jess was the first one to notice Gabriel in the doorway. She gave a small smile. “Merry Christmas Gabriel.” She said.

 

                Gabriel gave a small smile back as both John and Sam turned their attention towards him, giving small smiles. “Merry Christmas.” He responded, mostly towards everyone.

 

                “Merry Christmas,” Sam responded, and John did so right afterwards.

 

                “Has anyone seen Dean?” Gabriel asked no one in particular.

 

                “He’s in the kitchen with Mary.” John said before he turned back to his youngest son.

 

                With a nod, Gabriel walked over to the small, green tree that was in the corner of the room and placed his gifts next to the rest of the presents that were there. He could make out the small, wrapped gift under the tree that was no doubt Sam’s necklace for Jessica, but all of the other gifts were completely foreign to him. He set the bag and the wrapped gift down under the tree before standing up and making his way into the kitchen, completely forgetting about the other three people in the room.

 

                When he got into the kitchen, he thought it would be Mary that was cooking, but it was Dean that was cooking the breakfast. Mary acted as Dean’s sous chef, handing him the ingredients that he asked for when he asked for them. Dean was in the process of cooking scrambled eggs, but it smelled as if he was also making sausage, bacon, pancakes, and hash browns. The smells overwhelmed Gabriel’s senses. He smiled as he leaned up against the doorframe.

 

                “Merry Christmas.” Gabriel said, causing Mary and Dean to both turn their heads in Gabriel’s direction.

 

                Mary gave a small smile. “Good morning Gabriel. Merry Christmas.” She replied in a sweet tone. “Did you sleep well?”

 

                Gabriel nodded and yawned. “Yeah, I slept well.” He said as he walked over to his boyfriend and stood right beside him.

 

                Dean couldn’t help but smile as he continued to move the eggs around in the pan. He turned his head towards Gabriel for a split second before he turned his attention back towards the cooking food. Gabriel smiled as he moved closer. Dean couldn’t stop the laugh that left his mouth. He tried to shove Gabriel away, but Gabriel only moved closer.

 

                “You’re in my space!” Dean chuckled as he tried to elbow Gabriel in the gut, but was unsuccessful.

 

                “Oh, I am, am I?” Gabriel smirked.

 

                “What’re you doing?” Dean asked, his words coming out with more laughter than anything else.

 

                “Invading your space.”

 

                “Exactly, get out!”

 

                “No.”

 

                “Mom!” Dean groaned with a side of laughter.

 

                Mary glared at the two men. “Boys,” She said in her mother-like tone as she poured herself a glass of orange juice.

 

                “Gabriel, I’m cooking.” Dean said. “I don’t want you to get burned.”

 

                Gabriel pouted. “Alright.” He said. “Do you need help?”

 

                Dean shook his head. “I’m good.” He smirked. “Breakfast should be ready in about five minutes.”

 

                “Gabriel,” Mary said, causing Gabriel to turn his head towards her. “Do you want to help me set the table?”

 

                Gabriel nodded and followed Mary to the dining room table. They laid down a peach colored table cloth on top of the wooden table. Afterwards, they set down white napkins in six different spots as well as the silverware (forks, spoons, and knives) on top of the napkins. They then set down green and red glass plates on each of the six spots.

 

                _How festive_ , Gabriel thought.

 

                Near the center of the table, the salt and pepper was set out, as well as the butter and the Mrs. Butterworth syrup for the pancakes. When the table had been set, the food was perfectly cooked, each piece of food being set on its own separate plate on the kitchen counters for everyone to have a go at.

 

                Mary was the one to call in the group from the living room into the kitchen. Gabriel was unsure of whether or not the group actually knew that Dean was the one to make the food, but he figured that they would have known and, being family, trusted him to actually cook what was going into their stomachs.

 

                John and Mary served themselves first, getting the food that they wanted and the beverages as well before taking their spots at the heads of the table. Sam and Jess repeated the action, getting what they wanted and sitting down. Gabriel and Dean were the last ones to go. Gabriel assisted Dean with his selection before getting his own plate.

 

                Sam and Gabriel were the ones to sit next to John that time, Gabriel not at all worried about the father’s criticism. As far as he was concerned; there was none. And even if there was, there was a part of Gabriel that didn’t particularly care, even though the other half would have tried to convince him that he should have. Dean and Jess sat next to Mary on the other half of the table.

 

                Gabriel noticed that John had used a good amount of syrup for his pancakes. So much that the syrup glided off the puffy, round cakes and onto his meat that was placed directly beside it. He ate it anyway though and devoured the pancakes that were sitting on his green plate.

 

                The table was filled with small talk, nothing severely important to anyone else other than the fact that everyone didn’t want the awkward silence to loom around them for a while and make everyone feel uncomfortable, which was what would have happened. Awkward silence was one of those things that, no matter what, would make someone’s stomach turn and make them have that feeling of almost-wanting-to-throw-up but your body not entirely convinced that they were able to.

 

                Gabriel was surprised at how well the food tasted. Not that he ever doubted Dean’s cooking ability. No, he never did that. However, since they started dating, all he’s had was Bethany’s scones or muffins from the coffee shop that could have been labeled as ‘homemade’. The other stuff was just the school food (which wasn’t bad compared to others) and microwavable meals that he and Dean would eat when they wanted to stay in.

 

                “This is really good Dean.” Gabriel said towards the blind man as he finished half of the stack of three pancakes.

 

                Dean flashed a smile, some leftover egg from his plate still on a small part of his teeth. “Thanks.” He replied, taking another bite.

 

                “How come I’ve never eaten your food before?”

 

                Dean shrugged. “Guess I never had the time?”

 

                “We need to talk about you taking Bethany’s job or something.”

 

                “I wouldn’t get Bethany fired like that!”

 

                “You can both use the kitchen.”

 

                “No!”

 

                No one else paid mind to the conversation that the two had. They were all too focused on the conversation that they were having off to the side.

 

                Dean’s cheeks were definitely pink and getting darker by the second, which only enhanced the look of his freckles that were littered across his cheeks and the bridge of his nose. Dean faced the plate in front of him and moved the eggs around a little bit before taking another bite, then picking up a strip of bacon and taking a bite of that as well.

 

                “You like the front more?” Gabriel asked as he bit into the pancakes again.

 

                “I like the compliments.” Dean confessed.

 

                Gabriel smiled. “They would give you even more compliments if they found out that you were multitalented. You know, instead of being a talented barista.”

 

                Dean rolled his eyes. “I’m fine with the ones that I get now.”

 

                “They love your drinks.”

 

                “I know.”

 

                “The girls love you.”

 

                “I know.”

 

                “You’re full of yourself.” Gabriel smirked.

 

                “I know.” Dean smirked right back, giving Gabriel a side glance before taking another bite.

 

                Gabriel smiled as they both began to eat again. Once everyone had finished downing their meals, they all placed the dishes into the sink full of soapy, warm water in order for them to soak for a while. After that, everyone went into the living room and sat down in the chairs. Sam and Jess sat on one sofa, Dean and Gabriel on the other, and John on a recliner with Mary gently resting against the arm of the chair.

 

                It was time to open the gifts that were neatly placed under the tree.

 

                It wasn’t like normal Christmas back in the 1980s. No one had a video camera out, recording everyone’s reaction to the gifts that they had gotten. No one paid attention to anyone else except to the people that they were giving the presents to. They were just focusing on their significant other, hardly even caring about what the other people in the room seemed to get from their lover.

 

                Jessica had handed Dean the gifts that he had bought and Gabriel grabbed his own gifts that were sitting under the tree before he walked back over to the sofa and sat down, crossing his legs over one another so that he was able to face Dean. Dean smiled as he moved his hands around the plastic bag and the colorful gift bag. Gabriel bit his lip.

 

                “Do you wanna trade?” He asked Dean. “Or do you want to go one at a time?”

 

                “One at a time.” Dean replied. “Can you open mine first?” Dean sounded completely ecstatic, the joy flooded his voice.

 

                With a smile, Gabriel set his gifts for Dean down on the floor and accepted the plastic Walmart bag and the gift bag, which he set beside him on the floor. The Walmart bag wasn’t entirely see through, but he was able to get a small glance on what was in there.

 

                It looked like candy.

 

                With a wide smile, Gabriel untied the top of the bag and stared into the bag that was just filled with many different candies. Gabriel gaped as he rummaged through the bag finding Snickers, 3-Muskateers, Crunch bars, and Hersey’s chocolate bars (plain of course).

 

                “Candy?” Gabriel’s voice was just like a child’s when he would have opened up one of his favorite presents on Christmas. Gabriel was convinced that it was.

 

                Dean nodded. “I didn’t know if you would like it or…”

 

                “Like it? Dean, you have to understand that I am a sucker, pardon my pun, for sweets. I absolutely love candy.”

 

                “Really?” Dean asked.

 

                Gabriel nodded as he took a Mini-Snickers out of the bag, unwrapped it, and popped it into his mouth, chewing the chocolaty goodness. “You want one?”

 

                “Is there a chocolate bar in there?”

 

                Gabriel nodded as he handed Dean one of the small Hershey bars. Dean unwrapped it easily and popped it into his mouth, the dull chocolate melting inside of his mouth and sticking to his tongue. Dean hummed as he licked his lips several times before swallowing the melted candy.

 

                “Good?” Gabriel asked with a small smirk.

 

                “Good.” Dean chuckled. “Open the other one.”

 

                Gabriel smiled as he set the bag of candy aside and replaced it with the green and red colored bag. He set it down on his lap and slowly began to take out the silver, glittery tissue paper that was stuffed inside the bag. Once all of it was littered on the floor, Gabriel took a glance inside of the bag. The first thing he noticed was the small, colorful cover that was standing out above all the other items in the bag. He took out the small book a read the cover. _Lee J. Skandalakis, John E. Skandalakis, Editors,_ it read, _Surgical Anatomy and Technique. A Pocket Manuel. Fourth Edition_.

 

                Gabriel stared in awe as he opened up the book and scrolled through the pages. Once he got on the Contents page, he read through them. It read the regular _Acknowledgments,_ which was usually before any text book and which no one bothered to ever read. After that, it had a list of several body parts; the skin, scalp, nails, breasts, etc. Gabriel gave a small laugh.

 

                “A surgical guide.” He stated.

 

                Dean’s cheeks turned lightly pink as he rubbed the back of his head. “Yeah, Jess drove me to the book store here and…she helped me find it.”

 

                Gabriel smiled as he looked at Dean’s nervous expression. He leaned forward and pressed a kiss against Dean’s cheek.

 

                “I love it.” He said. “And it’s small enough to carry around.”

 

                “You really love it?”

 

                Gabriel nodded. “Yes. I sincerely do.”

 

                When Dean’s nervous look went away, Gabriel set the book aside and looked back into the bag. The first cover he could see was the cover of the first season of Dr. Sexy MD, a show that he and Dean watched more than once, not in any chronological order. Then the second one was the very first season of Law and Order: Special Victim’s Unit which he, again, never watched in chronological order. Netflix only had so much. And he usually preferred SVU over the original Law and Order, but he never understood why. He just figured it was because he got into SVU first before he could ever get into the regular one. He always thought Stabler was good looking though, as well as most of the female fans of the show. He was sad when his character left.

 

                If Gabriel’s smile wasn’t obvious before, then it was definitely obvious right after he took out the boxes. “How did you know I liked Law and Order SVU?” Gabriel asked with a cocked brow.

 

                “You mentioned it…like…a week after we started dating.” Dean said with a shrug.

 

                Gabriel snapped his fingers. “That’s right, that’s right…confused Netflix night. When we were trying to find something to watch.”

 

                “You seemed pretty devastated when they only had the thirteenth season on there, I think.”

 

                “Devastated? Dean, I was pissed.” Gabriel laughed.

 

                Dean let a deep chuckle fall from his throat as his cheeks turned darker. “At least we can watch it together now.”

 

                “Yeah, we can have our Law and Order night and our Dr. Sexy nights.”

 

                “Awesome.”

 

                Gabriel licked his lips as he placed the book, the two boxes with the two seasons and even he bag of candies inside of the large gift bag before setting it so the side. He grabbed his plastic bag first and handed it to Dean, which he gladly accepted.

 

                “Now you can open mine.” Gabriel said.

 

                Dean smiled as he untied the top of the plastic bag, just as Gabriel had done to his gift, and felt around the five CDs that were inside. Dean quirked a brow as he picked up one of the CD cases, the Metallica one, and felt the edges.

 

                “CDs?” Dean asked.

 

                “Classic rock CDs.” Gabriel said. “AC/DC, Led Zeppelin, Black Sabbath, Kansas…”

 

                “Metallica?” Dean asked, full of hope.

 

                Gabriel smiled. “That’s the one that you’re holding in your hands.”

 

                Dean’s white smile beamed. “Thank you Gabriel.”

 

                “Don’t thank me just yet.” Gabriel said as he held up his right index finger and reached over, grabbing the wrapped box of wrenches from beside the couch. “Here’s your last present.”

 

                Gabriel handed Dean the box and Dean felt around it. Once he found a small spot on the paper that was sticking up, he played with it, tearing the paper away from the other part of the paper. Once it got loose enough, he tore the paper away, the loud ripping sound filling the room, but not distracting anyone else from what they were doing. Once the paper was thrown onto the floor, Dean ran his hand over the top of the box of wrenches. When his fingers graced over the bolded letters, he stopped, eyes wide.

 

                “No way,” He said as he fumbled for the clips that were right in front of the box. When he opened it up, the clanging of metal against metal filled his ears. Dean hesitated before reaching his hand in and running his hand up and down the metal. His eyes widened even more with glee. “No way. Wrenches? You got me wrenches?”

 

                Gabriel smiled and nodded. “Yeah. I’m guessing you like it?”

 

                “Like it? I love it!” Dean said. “I’ve never had my own wrenches before, and the ones at the shop are pretty dated. I can now use my own.” Dean closed the box, latching it shut before he had, surprisingly, flung himself at Gabriel, bringing him into a tight embrace. “Thank you so much.” Dean placed a sloppy kiss against Gabriel’s cheek.

 

                Gabriel groaned as he pulled back and rubbed his cheek with the palm of his left hand. “Ew.” He said. “Cooties.”

 

                Dean blushed furiously, the red completely dying his cheeks by then. “Merry Christmas.” He said lightly.

 

                “Merry Christmas”

* * *

 

                Most of the day was spent watching _A Christmas Story_ on TBS, a certain movie that Mary was never fond of for the simple reason that she found it incredibly annoying, especially the main character of the movie. So, during that time, she spent most of the time in the kitchen, already prepping for the supper that they were going to enjoy later that night. Every now and then, maybe during the commercials, Dean would get up from his spot next to Gabriel and walk into the kitchen with his mother in order to help with the cooking.

 

                The food was done around five in the afternoon earlier than when the usually eat, which would be around seven-thirty or eight depending on who was cooking and what exactly they were having. The food was on the counters in the kitchen. There was a honey glazed ham and a large turkey for the meat. There were sides of stuffing, Gabriel’s personal favorite other than desert, mashed potatoes, sweet potatoes, salad, green bean casserole, and deviled eggs. Everyone got their food and sat down in the exact same spots that they were sitting in while they were eating breakfast.

 

                Mary convinced them to pray.

 

                It wasn’t something that the Winchester family did on a daily basis, but Mary made it her mission to pray at least when they were all together and are having a large group meal. All didn’t seem to be uncomfortable except Gabriel. He hadn’t remember the last time he’d prayed, or if he did so at all. He probably did when he was little, but it could’ve been a mistake.

 

                Conversation was flooding the dining room. It seemed much less awkward than the morning meal. No one was sure of what had changed in the tone but everyone wanted to talk. Everyone wanted to get involved. Everyone acted like they wished to act like they were all a family. The conversation poured out of their lips like butter and, before everyone knew it, their stomachs were getting sick by the amount of food they were eating. Gabriel and Sam helped Mary put away the leftovers, something that everyone would be eating for the next couple of days until they were certain it went bad.

 

                They finished the day off with watching some other Christmas movies; _How the Grinch Stole Christmas, Prancer, Rudolph,_ and some other movies as well. They watched the movies until, around, nine o’clock. It was then that everyone retreated to their rooms. Gabriel and Dean settled down for bed, dressing in the pajamas that they had left. They would see if they could do laundry the next day.

 

                For about half an hour, until nine-thirty, they sat in the bedroom, Gabriel skimming over the book that he had gotten and Dean listening to the music that he had in his room; records, of course, not CDs. He hadn’t gotten anything there with him that could play CDs. He made sure to turn down the volume so he wouldn’t be able to disturb anyone else in the house.

 

                When it was closer to ten, Dean turned off the music and Gabriel folded the page in his book, setting it off to the side. When Dean was situated on his side of the bed, Gabriel turned the lamp off, the room flooding with darkness immediately. They both snuggled comfortably under the covers, wrapping themselves in each other. Dean placed his arms around the small of Gabriel’s back, pulling him even closer to his chest, while Gabriel placed his arms up against Dean’s chest, feeling completely engulfed in Dean’s strong grip. He felt protected.

 

                Dean exhaled as he placed a small chaste kiss on top of Gabriel’s forehead, causing Gabriel to smile warmly, the red coming up on his cheeks and painting them.

 

                “Thank you for a wonderful Christmas.” Dean whispered to Gabriel.

 

                Gabriel glanced up, only able to look at Dean’s chin. “And thank you.” Gabriel said. “I really enjoyed today. And I absolutely loved the gifts, but you didn’t have to get me anything.”

 

                “Do you want me to return them?”

 

                “No.”

 

                Dean smirked. “Alright.”

 

                Gabriel, somehow, cuddled even closer to Dean. So close that he was able to hear the steady beating coming from Dean’s heart. Gabriel smiled, taking in his scent, then letting out the breath.

 

                “Merry Christmas Dean.”

 

                “Merry Christmas Gabriel.”

 

                The two of them drifted off into slumber, moving closer and closer together, tangling their legs with one another, as they slept. The red numbers that were on the alarm clock, sitting on top of the side table on Dean’s side, read midnight. It was then that Christmas had ended. 


	15. New Year, Old Problems

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Christmas has come and gone and now it is New Year's Eve. However, Dean has suddenly become sour about...something and has decided not to talk to anyone on New Year's Eve. What is wrong with this Winchester and who is able to get him out of the funk that he is stuck in?

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I know it has been a while since I've updated, but I hope to get back in the groove of things. Please forgive me, my sweets ^//^

Several of good days had passed and it was New Year’s Eve. Everything was normal, at least for the first couple of days. A day or two right before New Year’s Eve, Gabriel noticed a slight chance in Dean’s behavior. There were moments when Dean seemed more irritable than others, but other moments he was completely fine. It started off small at first with Dean sending small grunts towards everyone’s way when he didn’t feel like talking. Almost everyone – at least from the way that Gabriel was viewing it -- seemed to be taken aback by the sudden attitude in the oldest Winchester boy, especially Gabriel.

When it started, at night, instead of Dean snuggling up next to Gabriel when they would try and drift off into slumber, Dean would have his back facing Gabriel, eyes already closed and close to slumber. Seeing Dean so…irritated at the people around him sent a pang of hurt through Gabriel’s heart, but he didn’t say anything, not until New Year’s Eve. 

 

Normally, it didn’t matter if Dean acted like he was mad at the world, Dean would have come down the stairs in the morning and ate breakfast, but he didn’t on New Year’s Eve. It was after breakfast when Gabriel went upstairs, stopping at the closed door of his and Dean’s temporary room. He leaned up against the wooden frame and placed a hand on the doorknob, but decided against it, immediately retracting his hand from the metal knob. 

 

Gabriel knocked on the door with his knuckles. “Dean?” He asked, but no response came from the other side of the door. “Dean, why don’t you come down for breakfast?” 

 

“I’m not hungry Gabriel.” Dean growled out. 

 

Gabriel seemed taken aback from the tone, lifting his head slightly. A frown formed on Gabriel’s lips as he leaned back up against it. “Are you sure Dean? Can…can I come in, please?” 

 

“No, just…” Dean gave out a loud, definitely audible, sigh. “Just leave me alone Gabriel, alright?” 

 

Gabriel’s shoulders slumped. “Alright…” He said lightly before he turned away from the door and walked towards the top of the stairs. Before he descended down the stairs, he looked back at the door and sighed. 

 

When Gabriel got downstairs, Mary was there, waiting for him. “Is Dean alright?” She asked, worry filling her tone, as she leaned up against the wooden railing. 

 

Gabriel shrugged his shoulders. “I don’t know, but I don’t think so. He’s been…very angry lately, and I have no idea what happened.” He said, looking with a sad expression into Mary’s eyes. 

 

Mary’s shoulders slumped. “I don’t know what’s wrong with Dean, Gabriel. Maybe you can talk to him in a while? Maybe he just needs to cool down.” Mary said as she placed one of her hands on top of one of Gabriel’s comfortingly. 

 

“He’s been like this for days now. I just wanna know what’s wrong.” 

 

“I know sweetie.” Mary replied. “You should just check back with him in about an hour or so. He’ll probably be feeling better by then.” 

 

“You’re probably right.” Gabriel said. “Alright, I’ll check in on him in a while.” 

 

Before Mary could say anything, Sam popped out from around the corner. Gabriel figured that he came from the kitchen, but Mary knew that he did. Sam leaned up against the railing, looking up towards Gabriel. 

 

“Hey Gabriel,” Sam started. “I was planning on heading out to the grocery store so that I can get some snacks for tonight. Do you wanna come with?” 

 

Gabriel glanced towards Mary before turning back towards Sam, shrugging in response. “Sure, why not?” A smile formed on his face as he took the remaining steps down to the bottom floor.

 

“We’ll be leaving in about five minutes, is that alright with you?” 

 

“That’s alright with me.”

 

“Great.” Sam said before he turned around and headed towards the kitchen once more. 

 

Once Sam had vanished – Gabriel had watched the tall man’s every step until he was sure he was gone – Gabriel’s shoulders fell once again and a frown formed on his face. Mary frowned as well, placing a hand, this time, on Gabriel’s upper back and began rubbing it comfortingly. 

 

“It’s alright Gabriel. Just talk to Dean when you get back.” Mary said. 

 

“Yeah, but…I don’t know what’s wrong.” Gabriel repeated. 

 

“I know Gabriel. Why don’t you ask Sam while you’re out, convince him to talk to Dean as well when you guys get back. There is no way that he can stay mad forever. He’ll come around. Promise.” 

 

“Thanks Mrs. Winchester.” Gabriel smirked lightly. 

 

“You might want to get ready then.” Mary patted Gabriel on the back – where she had just been rubbing – and walked off towards the kitchen as well. 

 

Gabriel watched her retreat as well before he went to get ready. 

  
  
  


Both Gabriel’s coat and shoes were by the front door – Mary didn’t appreciate the melted snow getting all over the hardwood floor and carpet when people would come in from outside – when he went to grab them. He got his boots first – just faded brown ones that he rarely used, mainly because he wasn’t fond of going outside in the snow (especially after growing up with his brothers and their little snow ball fights that Gabriel thought could be classified as a ‘snow wars’) – and went into the living room where Jess and John were sitting, chatting and catching a glance of the television every now and then. (Gabriel thought that they were watching some reality or talk show, but he didn’t seem to care enough to really pay attention). 

 

Gabriel sat next to Jessica on the couch as he placed his dry boots on the floor. He reached down and grabbed his right shoe, put it on, tied it, then did the same with the left shoe. Once he was done, he noticed that both John and Jess were staring at the television, so Gabriel took the time to see what it was their eyes were attached to. They were watching the news. 

 

Fox News to be exact. 

 

Gabriel never watched the news that much, but from his time on the internet, he knew that, no matter what station it was, Fox News has been known for making their mistakes and were notorious for being made fun of –at least from what Gabriel had seen. Some of the jokes that were made out of the news station didn’t make sense to Gabriel, but others were just random pictures that definitely showed the failures of Fox. 

 

None of the three people said anything to each other for a while. Jess and John were too engulfed in the show, while Gabriel was way too engulfed in his own thoughts and worries about Dean. 

 

_ There has to be a reason why he’s acting like this. _ Gabriel thought.  _ Was it something I did? What  _ would  _ I have done? It could be something that’s dealing with someone in the family. I would understand why no one would want to talk about it if it was them who caused Dean to act the way that he’s acting. But who? _

 

Gabriel let out a small, inaudible sigh as he focused on the television. There was a blonde-haired woman on the screen, talking about a possible homicide in the Kansas City, KS area in a 7-Eleven parking lot two days before. There was a picture of the victim – a woman who looked to be in her early or mid-forties who was slightly overweight with long brown waves and dark eyes – as well as a picture of the definite suspect – it was difficult to see on the surveillance footage picture, but everyone knew that it was definitely a male – which, when zoomed in, was really pixelated.  The dark van that the suspect had gotten into had no license plate, so there was hardly a lead if someone wanted to trace the vehicle that way. If there was only one way to describe the van, however, it would be categorized under the type that most people would associate with pedophiles – Gabriel has heard some people call them ‘pedo-vans’ especially if he was out on a walk and someone was to pass by a van that had some of the same features – which, looking at it in a cliché way, was supposed to be white and old, but the dark van had the aged look to it, so Gabriel figured that it would fit the category, almost, perfectly. 

 

After the news story, Sam appeared from the kitchen, hands in his pockets and shoes already on his feet. All he needed was his jacket. Gabriel turned his attention from the news channel to Sam and stood up from his seat. 

 

“Are you ready to go?” Gabriel asked, placing his own hands inside of his pockets. 

 

“Yeah. You?” Sam asked in return. 

 

“Yeah,” Gabriel nodded. “I just have to grab my coat on the way out. Are we taking your car?” 

 

“We are. You wanna drive?” 

 

Gabriel shook his head. “Nah, I’m alright. You go ahead and drive.” 

 

Sam said nothing, but nodded towards Gabriel’s direction. Before Sam could move anymore, Jessica stood up from her spot on the couch and hugged Sam, her short arms wrapping around Sam’s waist. Sam smiled as he looked down at her, giving her a small kiss against the lips. They whispered ‘I love you,’ to each other before they parted, Jessica going into the kitchen and Sam and Gabriel walking towards the front door. John hollered a ‘see ya boys’ to the pair, in which Sam and Gabriel said ‘see ya’ to John as well.

 

Sam and Gabriel were both silent as they grabbed their coats and put them on. Sam even grabbed a scarf that was hanging up and wrapped it around his neck, tucking the end of the article of clothing into his coat. Sam twisted his body so that he could shout back at the others in the house. 

 

“We’re leaving.” Sam hollered before turning back around. 

 

There were no more answers to Sam’s statement from any of the other members of the household – Gabriel figured that Sam had told everyone, except Dean, that they were about to leave – as the two of them left the Winchester house. Gabriel closed the door behind him once the cold air hit his face. Gabriel took a sharp intake of breath and placed his bare hands into his coat pockets, the material wasn’t heating up his skin, but rather cooling it, which caused goosebumps to run up his arms and a chill to go down his spine, which caused his body to shake. 

 

“It’s pretty cold.” Gabriel said as he and Sam walked to the car. 

 

“That’s Kansas for you.” Sam said, a small grin present on his lips. “Usually cold in the winter and hotter than hell in the summer.” 

 

“And that’s why I’m glad Dean and I don’t go to school in this state.” Gabriel grinned, getting into the passenger’s seat of the car. 

 

Sam got in the car on the driver’s side of the vehicle with a chuckle. It was then, once again, silent between the two as Sam turned the car on, the warm air from the car’s heater running across Gabriel’s cheeks, turning them red. Gabriel let out a sigh of relief at the warmth as he and Sam backed out of the driveway and drove down the street. Sam had turned on the radio and a quiet, unknown pop song played through the speakers. That was the only sound that filled the car until they got to the store. 

 

It was Walmart, and both men would have been lying if they said that the parking lot wasn’t incredibly packed. 

 

Luckily, Sam and Gabriel were able to find a parking spot right when a large SUV was backing out of the spot. Sam patiently waited for the SVU to finish pulling out of the slot before he parked. Turning off the car, he and Gabriel got out of the car and walked into the store - passing by many people as they entered the building - grabbing a shopping cart on the way inside. Gabriel placed his hands into his jean pockets as he and Sam began to walk around the large Mega-store. 

 

“What are we planning on getting?” Gabriel asked. 

 

Sam shrugged. “Probably small stuff. Chips, dip, drinks…can you think of anything?” Sam asked with a cocked brow, turning towards Gabriel. 

 

Gabriel shrugged his shoulders. “What about for supper? Besides the chips?” 

 

“Hotdogs and hamburgers?”

 

“Sounds good to me. Maybe pick up some lunch meat so that we can make cold sandwiches as well?” 

 

“Great, let’s grab the stuff. I checked my parent’s fridge before we left. There’s no need to sweat the small stuff like buns or mustard or anything like that.” 

 

“Sweet, less stuff we have to buy.” Gabriel smiled. 

 

“Tell me about it.” 

 

Sam and Gabriel went throughout the store, picking up the necessities for the New Year’s Eve ‘bash’ that they were having. They grabbed the hamburger meat, hotdogs, and lunch meat for the sandwiches. After they got the lunch meat, they went to the produce section of the store – near the bakery, usually – in order to grab the toppings for the sandwiches. Gabriel grabbed a head of lettuce while Sam grabbed one or two tomatoes. Afterwards, they went to grab the chips. Gabriel walked beside Sam, who was pushing the cart, his hands in his coat pockets. When they got to the isle that contained a wide variety of chips, Gabriel stopped with the cart, watching as Sam glanced at the many bags of chips, deciding which ones that were worth getting. 

 

“Hey Sam?” Gabriel began, his tone slightly uneasy. 

 

Sam turned his head towards Gabriel before turning it back to look at the food. “Yeah?” 

 

“Do you know what’s wrong with Dean? He hasn’t left his room today as far as I’m concerned, and he’s been really irritated with…everyone lately and I don’t know why. Do you?” 

 

Sam sighed, reaching forward to grab a large bag of Cheetos and Doritos. “I don’t know Gabriel. Dean can get really angry at things sometimes…” 

 

“But I’ve never seen him that mad before. Yeah, he’s been irritated, but never has he tried to ignore me before.” Gabriel rubbed his left arm with his right hand. 

 

When Sam placed the bags into the cart, he grasped the sides of the cart, sighing once more before looking directly at Gabriel. “I brought up the first time you guys met to him and…about the bullying.” Sam said as he glanced down into the cart full of food. “Dean didn’t wanna talk about it and I…kind of pushed it.” 

 

Gabriel glanced at the ground. “And I’m guessing you told him that I told you about it?” 

 

Sam nodded. “Yeah, sorry.” 

 

Gabriel shook his head. “No…it’s just…why is he mad at me? He’s…ignoring me.” 

 

“It’s quite a sore subject for Dean, especially since he had to grow up with it.” Sam said, moving the cart so that he was able to grab the bar and began pushing it again, with Gabriel following right beside. 

 

“Really? How…” Gabriel rubbed his arm again. “How bad was it?” 

 

“Bad.” Sam said. “He would come home crying almost every night. I should never have brought it up. I know how sensitive he is to the subject and I just…didn’t think of it. I’ll try to talk to him when we get back home.” 

 

Gabriel didn’t know how to respond. His shoulders just slumped as he looked away, the awkward conversational silence between the two strong. Meanwhile, while Sam walked the cart towards the front of the store in order to check out, he thought about Dean. The truth was that Dean’s anger had been bugging him with guilt ever since the little verbal disagreement between the brothers. Sam knew that there was a part of Dean that felt he needed to look after Sam because he was the big brother – Sam remembers Dean telling him when he was in his room after school one day during one of his crying spells – but Sam, in all actuality, felt like it was his job to look after Dean, and he had tried his best to do so when they were younger, but there was that feeling that wouldn’t go away in Sam’s chest. That feeling of protectiveness. It grew in Sam’s chest once he heard Gabriel tell him about the first time Gabriel and his brother met, but it was replaced with a strong sense of guilt after their little quarrel. All Sam figured he could do, however, was to try and coax Dean out of his room for a calm talk, but if he was unable to do that, then he had no idea what he was going to do about his brother. 

 

The checkout went by in a flash – the checkout lady was young and very energetic, talking to the customers as they went through as well as quickly scanning and bagging the items – and sooner than later, Sam and Gabriel were back to the car, placing the groceries in the trunk before getting into the car and beginning to drive off. Both Sam and Gabriel checked the time on the radio’s clock. 

 

It was near twelve-thirty in the afternoon. 

 

Gabriel let out a small sigh before he reached over and turned the volume up on the radio, but only slightly as to not burst their eardrums. The rest of the car ride was filled with the hum of pop music that was flowing through the car’s speakers. 

 

When the two of them got home they each, silently, grabbed several bags and carried them into the house. They were greeted by John, Mary, and Jess when they came in, but not Dean. It didn’t seem like he was downstairs yet. Sam and Gabriel carried the bags into the kitchen and set them down on the counters. Jessica followed in suit. 

 

“After we put the groceries up…I’m going to go talk to Dean.” Sam said in a quiet, low voice, so that Gabriel was – probably – the only one who was able to hear him.  

 

“We got the groceries,” Gabriel said in an equally quiet voice. “Don’t worry.” 

 

Sam gave a small nod before looking towards Jessica and leaving the room, heading upstairs. Jessica watched as Sam left the room, a puzzled look crossing her face. “Where’s he going?” Jess asked as he placed the lettuce and the tomatoes into the bottom drawer of the fridge. 

 

“He’s going to go see if he can get Dean to come out of the room.” Gabriel replied. “Have you seen him today? While we were gone?” 

 

Jessica shook his head. “No,” She replied. “But Mrs. Winchester went upstairs to try and talk to him once or twice. I don’t think she was even able to talk to him without doing it through the door.” 

 

Gabriel’s shoulders sagged. “Alright. Hopefully Sam can talk to him.” 

 

The two of them continued to put the groceries away. 

  
  
  
  


Sam walked up the stairs, leaving Gabriel and Jessica to put the food away. He held the railing – out of habit – as he walked up the stairs. When he got to the top of the flight, he slowly dragged his boot-covered shoes across the hardwood floor, the melting snow at the bottom of the shoes staying on the ground. Sam had forgotten that he was still wearing his coat…and at that moment, he didn’t even care. 

 

Sam stood in front of Dean’s childhood door before lifting his arm, then putting it back down, hesitant at first. Then, after a minute, he lifted it back up and knocked on the door with his knuckles three times. Once he put his hand back next to his body, he waited for a response from his brother, but never got it. 

 

“Dean?” Sam asked, cocking his head to the side. 

 

“Go away Sam, I don’t wanna talk.” Dean said, his voice slightly drowsy from inside. 

 

“Dean, please. I’m sorry for bringing up the topic. It’s none of my business anyway. I’m just worried about you Dean.” 

 

“Sam, please go away.” 

 

“No, Dean! Please, just let me in and we can talk, otherwise I’ll just come in.” 

 

“No.” 

 

“Alright then,” Sam huffed as he reached up and grabbed onto the golden doorknob and turned it, but it didn’t complete a full rotation, which could only mean one thing; the door was locked. Sam let out a heavy sigh as he began to knock on the door again. “Come on Dean, unlock the door.” 

 

“Sam, I told you once, just go away!” Dean’s voice got slightly louder. 

 

“Not until you unlock the door Dean.” 

 

“You’re being childish,” Dean huffed, just loud enough so that Sam was able to hear his brother’s irritated comment. 

 

“I’m being childish? You’re the guy that’s been locked in his room the entire day ignoring his family. Do you know how worried Mom is about you? How worried Gabriel is about you? Gabriel thinks you hate him right now and he’s hurt Dean. You can’t do that…” Sam leaned up against the door, the pressure he put on the door making a small squeaking sound come from the door. “Dean, you’re finally happy – at least I hope you are – and I don’t want to see you ruin it. Please come out Dean?” 

 

“Dammit Sammy, I said ‘No’ and I mean no! Now just leave me alone.” 

 

Sam let out a sigh. “Fine.” He said as he backed away from the door, not even bothering to wait for a response – it was highly doubtful that Dean even had one to give – before he went back down the stairs, a lot quicker than he did when he was trudging up them. 

 

The conversation – Sam wasn’t even sure if he could call it that – was short to say the least, and very ineffective. Sam pictured the interaction going a lot smoother in his head. He figured that it would be just like the old times; Dean would be sulking in his room, but then Sam would go up to his brother’s room in order to try and calm his down, then afterwards, Dean would feel better. Dean would actually smile, but when Sam found out that Dean had locked the door and wouldn’t allow him into the room, it was then that Sam did realize that he and Dean weren’t young anymore – at least not as young as they used to be – but all of the abuse that Dean was facing from the kids that he went to school with seemed to carry on with him as he got into college as well. It was also then when Sam realized how strong his feelings of concern were for his brother. It was tacky, he knew – ‘no chick-flick moments,’ Dean would always tell him – but it was more of a cliché type moment at that, rather than a chick-flick moment. Or reverse-cliché. It was usually the older sibling looking after the younger one after all, right? 

 

Sam walked back into the kitchen, figuring Gabriel and Jessica would be, about, done with putting the groceries away in their correct location, which he found out that he was correct when he walked into the kitchen to see Gabriel leaning against one of the kitchen counters, head pressed up against his folded hands. Gabriel heard the footsteps and stood up straight, looking at Sam as the tall man made his way across the kitchen, hands in his pockets the entire way there, and leaned up against the same counter as Gabriel had been leaning on. Seeing this, Gabriel returned to the position that he was in before Sam entered the room. 

 

“Any luck?” Gabriel asked, authentic concern covering his tone of voice. 

 

Sam gave a heavy sigh as he glanced into Gabriel’s eyes for a millisecond. “No.” He replied flatly. “He locked the door.”

 

“’Locked the door’? What do you mean he locked the door?” 

 

“I mean he just welcomed me into his room with open arms.” Sam said sarcastically at an, possibly, attempt to lighten the mood if not just sound like a smartass.  

 

Gabriel didn’t seem like his mood was lightened.  

 

Gabriel sent a glare towards Sam. “Okay Mr. Sarcasm. He’s been in his room for most of the day, not talking to us, not letting us in, and you think it’s a good time to joke around?” Gabriel asked, standing up straight and placing his hands on his hips. 

 

“No, Gabriel, listen. He’s mad at me…” Sam began, moving closer to Gabriel. 

 

“And me…” Gabriel interrupted. “I mean, I didn’t even do anything to him Sam, did I?” 

 

Sam shook his head. “Like I said before, I told Dean that you were the one that told me about him being picked on at college. I think he’s taking what I did out on you as well, especially since you were involved. He can’t do that though.” Sam moved close so that he was able to lean against the same counter that Gabriel was leaning on. “If I were you,” Sam shrugged. “I would unlock his door with the key that mom has.” 

 

Sam and Gabriel sat there for a moment, the static in the air being the only thing filling both of their ears. Finally, Gabriel let out a deep sigh and clasped his hands together lightly. 

 

“Where’s the key?”  

  
  
  


Gabriel stood in front of Dean’s door, a small key in his hand. He was moving the key back and forth in his large hands, rubbing the tape that was on the key. On the tape was written ‘Dean’s R.’. There were so many keys in a small drawer that Mary thought it would be great if she would label all of them with tape. Gabriel would be lying if he said he didn’t think it would be a good idea. He thought that it was a brilliant idea. 

 

Gabriel glanced down at the silver key that he kept on moving with the movement of his fingers, watching it with his whiskey eyes. After a couple of seconds, he faced the door once more, gaining the courage to lift his arm up hesitantly and prepare to knock on the door. His heartbeat quickened but just as he was going to knock on the door, very loud rock music started from inside the room. Gabriel was startled by the sudden noise, but didn’t retract his hand. In fact, that noise encouraged him to further move his hand towards the door and knock, which he did, even though he knew that it was no use because there was no way that Dean would have heard such a weak knock from his position in the bedroom. Gabriel didn’t even bother trying a second time then. Instead, he used the key and placed it into the keyhole with shaky hands. He then turned it and unlocked the door, hearing the familiar click from the door, and then he finally opened the door. 

 

The music inside of the bedroom was intensified as Gabriel opened the door. It was so bad that Gabriel had to fight back the urge to cover his ears with his hands.

 

_ How’s Dean able to listen to this?  _ Gabriel thought.  _ I’m already becoming deaf just from the five seconds I’ve been in here. _

 

From Gabriel’s spot in the middle of the doorway, he could see Dean on the bed, even though it was incredibly dark in the room. Dean had the blinds on the windows closed as to not let any light into the room, but there was still some illumination from the light that was hitting the blinds. The record player was on the small end table right next to Dean’s side of the bed, blasting Metallica from the aged system. Then right next to the end table, on the bed, was Dean. One leg was propped up while the other one lay flat against the bed. Dean also had both of his arms above his head, keeping it propped up. Finally, Gabriel could see that Dean’s eyes were gingerly closed. 

 

Gabriel let out a small, inaudible sigh as he closed the door behind. He then took careful footsteps to the side of the bed that Dean was on. He saw Dean’s face shift slightly once his eyes got adjusted to the darkened room. Then, right before Gabriel was able to stop the track, Dean grumbled something that Gabriel nor Dean himself was able to hear until Gabriel stopped and turned off the record player. 

 

“Who’s there?” Dean asked as he opened up his eyes. 

 

“Hey Dean.” Gabriel simply said. 

 

“Gabriel?” Dean’s voice was light and made his confusion evident. 

 

Gabriel was tired of looking at Dean in the dark, so he turned on the lamp that was also on the end table with the record player. Gabriel squinted slightly as his eyes adjusted to the brightness from the lamp. Finally, he turned his attention back to his boyfriend. 

 

“Can you sit up Dean?” Gabriel asked in a calm and collected tone. 

 

Dean hesitated at first, but didn’t say anything as he sat up and moved so that his legs were dangling off the side of the bed. After he did so, Gabriel sat right next to him, allowing the bed to shift slightly under their weight. Gabriel was looking at the ground for a while, words running through his head before he looked at Dean. 

 

“Dean, we need to talk.” Gabriel said. 

 

“About what?” Dean asked. 

 

“’About what’? Dean, you’ve been locked up in here all day. You’ve ignored me, you’ve ignored your brother…” Gabriel stopped and let out a sigh. “Sam told me about what you two talked about.” 

 

“Then he told you that I know you were the one that told him about it, didn’t he?” 

 

“Yes he did and he also told me that he was worried about you, that he was just trying to help.” 

 

Dean turned his head away from Gabriel so that Gabriel was hardly able to see Dean’s face. Gabriel leaned forward so that he was able to see the corner of Dean’s lips. 

 

“Dean…please talk to me.” 

 

Dean took in a visibly deep breath and let it out. He closed his eyes as he did so and, when he was finished, he opened them. 

 

“Dean, I just told Sam how we met. I didn’t think that this would have an effect on you or on anyone else. I didn’t know you didn’t want him to know.” Gabriel said, his shoulders slumped. 

 

“I know Gabriel, it’s just…” Dean swallowed, his Adam’s apple bobbing up and down with the action. “Every time I came home from a bad day at school, Sam would be there and…I always thought that it was ridiculous. It was the younger brother looking after the older one, you know what I’m saying? I just…wanted it to seem like I could handle it on my own. And when Sam came and started asking for money for rent and tuition and stuff, I finally felt like the older brother. I felt like I was able to help him. I felt normal. But then when Sam came up to me yesterday and mentioned me getting picked on, I felt weak again. Yes, he told me he was worried and I said he didn’t have to be. I’m at college now. I’m on my own now and he doesn’t have to be there with me, watching me while other people walk by. He kept pushing it though and…like I said, I felt weak again. Again.” 

 

Gabriel had kept his eyes fixed on Dean’s face and, throughout the entire time that Dean was talking, his cheeks were getting redder, as well as the area that was directly under his eyes. Dean looked as if he was on the verge of tears, and he was. The memories of his horrible experience in high school flowing through his head, opening up a wound that was supposed to be closed. A wound that had been scarred over.

 

“I know how you feel Dean.” Gabriel said in a small tone. 

 

“Do you?” Dean asked, turning his head so that Gabriel could fully see his own face. 

 

Gabriel sadly nodded. “Yeah…yeah I do.” Gabriel shifted in his seat so that his knees were facing more towards Dean then. “I used to get bullied – both physically and mentally – in high school as well. They were mean, every single person that was there. They used terrible language and it tore me up every day during and after school. I didn’t want to go to school anymore after the first half of my freshman year, but I knew that I had to. I wanted to prove those people wrong. I wanted to show them that, even though I’m gay, I can still get far in this world, even if they believed that I couldn’t. And as time went on, the people slowly got better and better, but it never did stop. It never stopped hurting.” 

 

It wasn’t all that bad in College – both Gabriel and Dean could agree on that – but there were still some people who loved to see others hurt and who loved to torture them until the bully’s felt satisfied enough that the victim was broken. It was just like the incident with the people in the halls in building C – the ones who called Dean ‘white eyes’ and tripped him. It was when he and Gabriel first met and both of them remember that moment clearly– or the other incident with the group of boys outside – not only did they insult Dean, but they also targeted Gabriel when he tried to defend Dean and, although Gabe was never fond of such language directed towards him, he learned to try and brush it off. However, like Dean, sometimes the words just got to him, no matter if he tried and brushed them off and no matter if he tried forgetting them later on. Some people would say downright hurtful things, but Gabriel made sure he ignored or avoided the ones who did. 

 

Gabriel focused on Dean’s eyes. He watched the white, clouded irises move. The movement was small, but detectable if you were focusing on Dean’s eyes and his eyes alone. 

 

And Gabriel loved looking at those eyes. 

 

Since the first time Gabriel met Dean -- since the first time Gabriel looked into those clouded eyes -- Gabriel had felt an attraction towards the tall man, even when he was a stranger. It was true that Gabriel adored Dean’s personality, looks, voice, basically everything about him. But all those things didn’t play a role in assisting Gabriel’s thoughts to just being about Dean. No…it was those eyes. Those white eyes. They were the true reason why Gabriel thought of Dean the way he did and those eyes were the main reason why Gabriel got the courage to ask Dean out on a date in the first place. It was those eyes that brought the two together. 

 

And Gabriel was the only one who knew it. 

 

“Gabriel?” Dean said, his voice louder than Gabriel thought necessary. 

 

Gabriel shook his head, his thoughts immediately vanishing. “Yeah?” 

 

“I said ‘I didn’t know you were bullied’. I mean, yeah, there was that incident at college with those guys – who were complete assholes by the way – but you’ve never actually…told me that you were bullied.” Dean said. 

 

“Oh,” Gabriel was so caught up in his thoughts as well as Dean’s eyes that he didn’t even hear Dean say anything. Gabriel gave a small smirk. “Well, to tell you the truth, you never told me either.” 

 

“Touché.” Dean said as he shrugged his broad shoulders. 

 

“All I knew was that people at school were giving you trouble and I figured I had to come in and save the day…twice!” Gabriel said, faking enthusiasm (well, sort off). 

 

Dean chuckled. “Yeah, my hero.” Dean said, the sarcasm dripping from his words. 

 

“And don’t you forget.” Gabriel replied as he reached over and wrapped his arms around Dean – the initial act caught Dean by surprise -- and buried his face into the crook of his boyfriend’s neck. Dean stayed in his original position for a while before he leaned his head against Gabriel’s, resting there for a minute until Gabriel was the one to lift his own head up and face Dean, looking him straight in the eyes, even though he knew Dean wasn’t looking back. “I was worried about you Dean.” 

 

Dean nodded. “I know you were Gabriel.” 

 

“Sam was worried about you Dean.” A smile slowly began to grow wider and wider across Gabriel’s lips as he spoke. 

 

“I know he was.” 

 

Gabriel looked down at Dean’s lap. Slowly, Gabriel reached his hand over Dean’s lap and intertwined their hands together. They sat there for a moment, not saying anything, but rather listening to each other’s breathing. After a while, Gabriel was the one that sat up, straightening up his back and stretching out the kinks he had. However, their hands never left each other’s. They stayed strongly intertwined. 

 

Gabriel leaned against Dean, getting comfortable in his position. Gabriel stared at Dean’s face, but Dean’s face was focused more on the floor than anything else. Out of the blue, Dean brought Gabriel’s hand up to his full, pink lips and pressed a kiss on the back of Gabriel’s hand. Gabriel’s cheeks were painted pink by then, a feeling of butterflies in his stomach as the back of his right hand tingled where the peck was placed. A couple of seconds later, however, Gabriel returned the favor by bringing Dean’s hand up to his own lips and kissed the back of his hand as well, then their hands fell to Dean’s lap. Dean smiled and turned his head so that it seemed like he was glancing at Gabriel. 

 

“Doesn’t it seem a little childish now?” Gabriel asked in a small, comforting whisper. 

 

“Does what seem childish?” Dean asked. 

 

“Locking yourself in your room for the morning, pouting and not talking to anyone?”  

 

Dean frowned and shrugged his broad shoulders. “Not at the time it didn’t.” He admitted. “At the time, it seemed justified but…yeah it was…childish, I guess.” Dean pulled his hand up and rubbed the back of his head, the pink tinge on his cheeks completely noticeable. 

 

Gabriel gave a small smile and rubbed his thumb on the back of Dean’s hand. “Why don’t we go downstairs, get something to eat? Sam and I went to the store about half-an-hour ago. We got chips and lunch meat. I can make you a sandwich.” Gabriel said. 

 

Dean sat there, his eyes focused on the wooden floor under their feet. He hesitated for a minute before he nodded, still completely unsure on whether or not he wanted to outside the room, but he reluctantly agreed. There was a semi-strong feeling of nervousness at the pit of his stomach. And the nervousness didn’t come from actually seeing his family, having to come up with an excuse why he was held up in his room for the morning or the fact that he had to admit that what he did was completely childish, even though part of him still didn’t think so. No, there was one thing that Dean hated the idea of even more. 

 

Admitting he was wrong to his younger brother. 

 

Just the thought made the oldest brother shiver where he was. As the oldest sibling, Dean always wanted to be right, to outsmart his younger brother, but it seemed at that time, the younger brother became the smarter brother. And Dean hated to admit it. Hated it with a burning passion that only he could have. 

 

But even though the thought made him gag, he still had to go downstairs with the rest of the family. It was New Year’s Eve after all. His first one with Gabriel. And there was no way, he figured, that he was going to spend his first New Year’s Eve with his very first boyfriend inside of his room sulking about the past. 

 

_ The past is in the past, _ he thought to himself. It was something that he had to keep telling himself, every single day, even when the people at college would laugh and, most likely, point at him. It would be temporary, but it would be something. And it seemed that, whenever he was with Gabriel, that temporary feeling of not having any troubles, of not having any knowledge about the people from his past or from his present that hurt him. He loved being with Gabriel because he was the only one who was able to take away the pain. 

 

And it was completely unknown to Dean that Gabriel felt the exact same way. 

 

Gabriel snuggled closer to Dean and hummed, which caused Dean’s thoughts to completely disappear as he forced his mind to focus on the task at hand. Gabriel had asked if he wanted to go downstairs and eat. The thought of food seemed to make his stomach growl…pretty loudly. It was where Gabriel was able to hear it and when he did, Gabriel smirked and couldn’t help the snicker that escaped from his throat. Dean’s cheeks turned red from embarrassment. 

 

“I’m going to take that as a ‘yes’?” Gabriel asked, slightly lifting his head up to glance at Dean’s face. 

 

Dean let his own smirk form on his lips. “Yeah, I am kind of hungry and a sandwich  _ does  _ sound good right now.” Dean said. 

 

“Yeah, I bet it does, because you haven’t eaten anything since last night!” Gabriel’s voice got increasingly louder as he spoke. A smile also made its way onto Gabriel’s lips. 

 

Dean laughed slightly. “Alright then,” Dean stroked Gabriel’s hand once or twice before he began to talk again. “I’m going to get dressed then and meet you downstairs. Okay?” 

 

“Are you okay?” Gabriel asked, completely disregarding Dean’s previous statement.

 

Dean nodded. “Yeah. I’m…I’m okay. I’m better.” Dean said. 

 

“You sure?” 

 

“I’m sure.” Dean’s smile was...warmer then. 

 

Gabriel gave a small nod before he stood up. “I’ll meet you downstairs then.” 

 

“I’ll meet you downstairs.” 

 

With that, Gabriel turned and left the room, making sure to close the door behind him. Gabriel let out a small sigh as he glanced down at the golden doorknob. He realized that the key was still in the keyhole. He never took it out. He figured that he must have been too caught up in the moment to even think about taking the damn key out. So Gabriel reached over and collected the key, studying it from the tan tape to the actual silver key. Once he glanced over every inch of the metal, he placed it in his pocket, hoping that there would be no need to use it again, but he figured that he could hang onto it just in case. He would put it back into its designated spot later. It was then that Gabriel made his way down the flight of stairs and into the first level of the house, where he would wait for Dean in the kitchen. 

 

Gabriel had pulled out all of the lunch meat and condiments that he and Sam bought at the store earlier that morning, and it wasn’t long afterwards that Gabriel could hear the faint barefoot steps from Dean coming down the staircase and into the kitchen. Gabriel got a good look at his lover. 

 

Dean’s hair wasn’t fixed completely, but it seemed presentable – probably because he ran his fingers through it several times instead of combing or brushing it. He was out of his pajamas and in a loose black t-shirt and jeans – which were hanging low on Dean’s waist – with no belt. Gabriel smiled. 

 

“Why, hello there sugar.” Gabriel teased in a slightly seductive way. 

 

Dean rolled his eyes as instinct. “Hey there sweetheart.” Dean shot back playfully as he leaned against the counter that separated the two, palms down on the flat, hardwood surface. 

 

“Glad to see you’re finally out of the damn room and ready to actually live for the day.” Gabriel lowered his head so that he could look at the sandwich ingredients. “So, what is it that you want on your sandwich?” 

 

“Did you guys get ham?” 

 

Gabriel let out a chuckle. “We basically got  _ every  _ single thing that a person could think of to put on a sandwich.” 

 

“Did you get bananas, peanut butter and bacon?” Dean’s signature smirk appeared on his lips. 

 

“Gross, why would I get those? Are you talking them going together? Like, on a sandwich?” 

 

“Yeah, it’s the Elvis sandwich.” Dean shrugged. 

 

“Gross.” Gabriel repeated. 

 

“I can dig Elvis.” Dean muttered under his breath. 

 

“You never answered my question.” Gabriel started to untie the little plastic tie that was wrapped around the bread packaging. “What do you want on your sandwich? Like I said; we basically bought everything that can go on a sandwich…except for the peanut butter, bananas and bacon.” Gabriel muttered under his breath. “I can’t believe he ate that.” 

 

Dean had told Gabriel what he wanted on his sandwich and the two of them shared some small talk while Gabriel built the food. Whilst Gabriel was creating the food, there was a thought that came to mind that could help but put a smile across his face as the two of them continued to speak to one another. 

 

_ Even if I’m not cooking anything, I still think that Dean could make this sandwich taste twice as good, _ he thought.  _ He has the magic touch like that. _

 

Dean heard the change in Gabriel’s tone and he knew that Gabriel was smiling, which only caused his own smile to appear on his face. “What are you smiling at?” Dean asked. 

 

Gabriel glanced up from the, almost, finished sandwich. Gabriel’s smile only widened. “Nothing. I just…thought of something funny.” Gabriel had then finished making the sandwich. “Would you like your sandwich served on a gold or silver platter?” Gabriel asked, his voice changing to that of a stereotypical English butler – where he had heard the voice from, he wasn’t entirely sure, but he thought he was humorously accurate (well, for the most part). 

 

Dean could hold back the laugh. Once his noisy laughter died down, he replied. “I think just a regular plate will be fine Alfred.” 

 

Gabriel stopped where he was. “Did you just call me Alfred?” 

 

“Yeah?” 

 

“Like…from Batman?” 

 

“Yeah?” 

“Huh…” Gabriel’s voice trailed off as he walked over to the row of cabinets and opened one that was directly above him. He reached in a grabbed a small white plate. He brought it over to where the sandwich was and placed the food on top of the platter. “I didn’t see you as a ‘batman’ type.” 

 

Dean shrugged his large, broad shoulders. “I guess we have a lot more to learn about each other then.” Dean smirked as he leaned further and further against the counter so that he was holding himself up on his elbows and his stomach was barely touching the cold granite. 

 

“I guess so,” Gabriel agreed as he pushed the plate towards Dean, causing the glass to scrape across the counter. “Here’s your five-star gourmet sandwich. Bon appetite!” It was then a French accent came out of the young man’s mouth, which, again, only caused Dean to laugh. 

 

Instead of taking the plate to the dining table so that they both could sit down, each man decided to lean up against the counter where there were absolutely no chairs to sit in. Gabriel watched as Dean ate, and after he ate, they talked. Gabriel placed the plate inside of the sink. Afterwards, Gabriel and Dean went into the Living Room and talked to the family. It seemed just like an awkward stream of conversations that everyone knew were holding questions they wished to ask Dean. However, no one spoke of them. No one spoke of the incident.

 

That was until it was close to seven-thirty that night. By then, Mary and John, Gabriel and Dean were in the kitchen. Mary and Dean were cooking while John and Gabriel were sitting down at the dining table, chatting – which Gabriel had to admit it was nice, considering Mr. Winchester seemed almost…sociable. Like Gabriel felt like he could be around him without having this wave of hate surround him. 

 

“I taught Dean everything he knows about cars.” John said once, a sense of pride in his tone.  

 

While Dean let out a light chuckle, Mary rolled her eyes. “You always say that John.” Mary said, with a light-hearted tone. 

 

“Because it’s true.” 

 

“We know Dad.” Dean said as he started chopping onions and slicing tomatoes. “But you don’t have to keep saying it. Say it any louder, then maybe the neighbors will hear you.” 

 

“He’s already told them.” Mary said. “He’s basically told everyone in town.” 

 

“Are you serious?” Gabriel asked, leaning forward so that he could stare at John straight in the face. 

 

John rolled his eyes. “Not  _ everyone. _ ” John said. There was a moment of silence as John sat there, twiddling his thumbs.  “A lot of people, yes. But not everyone.” 

 

Again, Mary rolled her eyes as she turned away from the food that she was preparing in order to look at Gabriel. Once she got his attention, he saw her mouth  _ everyone _ , which only caused him to laugh. 

 

Before anyone could get another word out of their mouths, Sam walked into the kitchen. Gabriel watched as Sam walked over to Dean and tapped him on the shoulder. Dean turned his head towards Sam. 

 

Gabriel barely caught the ‘ _ can I talk to you for a minute?’ _ that fell from Sam’s mouth. Gabriel was sure Mary was able to hear that question as well and he would have been genuinely surprised if she didn’t. It took a moment of hesitation for Dean to nod towards his brother. Dean set the knife down on the light brown cutting board. 

 

“Gabriel, can you chop up the rest of these?” Dean asked. 

 

“Yeah, sure.” Gabriel said as he hoisted himself off of the wooden chair and walked over to the cutting board. 

 

“I’ll be right back.” Dean said as he followed Sam out of the kitchen and into the hallway, out of earshot from everyone that was still present in the room. 

 

Gabriel continued where Dean had left off, chopping up onions before moving onto the tomatoes. 

 

“I taught Dean everything he knows about cooking.” Mary finally said. 

 

Gabriel stopped what he was doing and looked at her and she did the same to him. After they kept eye contact for a while, they both laughed, as well as John, but not before he rolled his eyes and let out an irritated sigh. 

  
  
  
  


Sam led Dean out into the hallway, where the youngest brother knew no one would have been able to hear any conversation. While everyone was in the kitchen, Jess was upstairs in his old room for all he knew. When he left, she had a book in her lap and was playing with the necklace he had given her. He was up there, reading a book that Jessica had gotten him for Christmas, before he decided to go downstairs and talk to Dean – talk about what Dean was too stubborn to talk about while Dean was being, in Sam’s own opinion, a child for locking himself in his bedroom and not talking to anyone. Hell, anyone should have thought that was childish. 

 

Then again, Sam was the one who triggered the little ‘temper tantrum’, as Sam would have called it, that Dean had early that morning. He figured it was his right to talk to Dean about what happened. That wasn’t saying that he was going to apologize immediately or anything for it. Part of him wanted to see if Dean would apologize for being a ‘little bitch’ about what he said, but there was a part of him that was in doubt about it. Then again, it would be great to see how Dean would act towards Sam’s apology. 

 

“Ugh,” Sam started, shifting from one foot to the other. “Listen…about yesterday. I shouldn’t have said anything Dean. I know that the whole bullying thing is a sensitive topic for you, and I…” Sam sighed. “I’m sorry. I just thought the situation got better when you went off to college. I thought I told you to call me if someone said something?” 

 

_ Whelp,  _ Sam thought.  _ Went against my own ‘not gonna apologize immediately’ rule. Damn. _

 

“You did.” Dean replied. Sam noticed that his white eyes were focused on the ground. 

 

“Then why didn’t you tell me or something?” 

 

Dean shrugged his shoulders. The movement was lazy, carefree. Sam rolled his eyes and let out a sigh. 

 

“Look. I know that you’re in college, away from me and away from mom and dad, but I want you to know that you can call me…like…when you’re having a bad day. I mean, I know you have Gabriel now, but he won’t always be around so, if you’re alone, you can call me anytime. Even during classes. Even if I don’t answer you can just leave a voicemail with some sort of rant or whatever. It’s just the same as…if I ever get into some sort of situation that I hate or feel uncomfortable with, I’ll give you a call, because you’re my big brother, and I’ve always looked up to you. If someone’s bothering me, then you can come to Stanford and beat them with the walking cane that you’re  _ supposed _ to be using.” 

 

Dean, on instinct, rolled his eyes. “It confuses me.” He muttered. 

 

“You’re still supposed to be using it.” 

 

“I’m fine without it Doc, trust me. I get around just fine.” 

 

“I don’t doubt it.” Sam said with a small chuckle. “All I’m saying Dean, is that you need to call, and if there’s a certain guy that you want me to beat the crap out of, then I don’t mind driving to you and beating the crap out of someone until they are unable to move.” 

 

“Yeah, yeah. I know, I know.” 

 

“So…do you accept my apology?” Sam asked. 

 

Dean let out a heavy sigh. “Yeah, yeah. I accept it, and I’m…” Dean hesitated, the words sitting on the tip of his tongue, but failing to come out. Finally, when words were able to come out his mouth, they came out in small spurts, not forming complete sentences what-so-ever. “I guess I….I wanna say…God…I…” Dean let out an even heavier, irritated sigh, which only caused Sam to break out into a toothy grin. After a couple of seconds of Dean standing there, mouth ajar, with no words forming, no matter how hard he tried, Sam finally spoke up.

 

“Are you trying to apologize?” Sam asked. 

 

Dean swallowed. “Yeah, yeah. I’m…ugh…apologizing.” Sam smiled. “…I’m sorry.” 

 

“It’s okay Dean. I’ll forgive you for acting like a five-year-old having a temper tantrum. I’ll forgive you for being childish.” 

 

Dean growled lightly. “Bitch.” 

 

“Jerk.” 

The New Year’s Eve day went on without any form of complications between persons. There was laughter, food, smiles, everything that a non-dramatic situation could ask for. Nothing happened…absolutely nothing that could ruin anything. 

 

And finally…it was ten minutes until midnight. Ten minutes until the giant ball in New York was to drop. 

 

Everyone was in the living room, chatting amongst themselves whilst they waited for the final countdown on the TV screen. The Winchester men had bottles of beer in their hands, while everyone else had a glass of wine. Gabriel, for one, was never really fond of the idea of beer. He preferred something as small as wine just because of the taste difference compared to that of the sour tanginess that the beer had. 

 

Dean and Gabriel were lounging on the couch. Dean’s posture was imperfect. He was slouched so the bottom half of his body was nearly hanging off the side of the couch and his left arm was perched on the back of the couch, directly behind Gabriel’s head. Gabriel’s posture wasn’t perfect either, but it wasn’t as crooked as Dean’s was. Gabriel was relaxed against the back of the sofa so that his golden hair was able to brush along Dean’s arm. Gabriel’s leg was also crossed directly in front of him. 

 

Five minutes until midnight. It wouldn’t be long until the cheers of hundreds of people from the TV set out be able to be heard when the ball announced the New Year. 

 

Gabriel let out a content sigh as he, somehow, relaxed further and leaned so that his head was resting on Dean’s shoulder. Dean continued his conversation with his brother about God-only-knew-what, Gabriel wasn’t entirely listening. In some state of mind, however, Dean gave a small smirk on instinct while he moved his arm so that half of it was draped over Gabriel’s right shoulder. 

 

One minute until midnight and everyone had their focus towards the television. People were cheering, shouting, jumping up and down, getting close to their lover. No matter what they did, it didn’t distract them from the giant ball that was going to drop within the next sixty seconds. 

 

Sam and Dean’s conversation came to a stop as Sam got closer to Jess and Mary closer to John – who both had been near the recliner, just chatting away before that very moment– while Dean and Gabriel stayed in the exact spot that they had been in, except for the fact that Gabriel tried to scoot as close to Dean as he possibly could. Dean smiled. 

 

Then it was the ten second countdown. “10…9…8…7…6…” 

 

“5,” 

 

Gabriel looked towards Dean, lifting his head so that he could stare directly into his boyfriend’s face. His stomach was churning at the thought of an action. An action that he felt too afraid to do.

 

“4,” 

 

For a second, Gabriel stared directly at Dean’s neck, thoughts running through his mind, but then his every moved up to Dean’s jaw line, then finally, to Dean’s lips. Gabriel licked his own nervously. 

 

“3,” 

 

A kiss was what he wanted. A kiss from someone that he felt attracted to, not some random guy or a bet. He wanted a kiss from Dean. 

 

“2,” 

 

He thought it was a wonderful chance to finally get that first kiss between the two, but the nervous question flowed through his mind; Would Dean want to kiss him too?

“1,” 

 

It was now or never. 

 

“Happy New Year!” The noises from the television grew as the lights started flashing on the screen. 

 

Gabriel hesitated, his heart fluttering inside his chest as he moved, confidence slowly filling him, but barely. He moved his hand to Dean’s chest, causing Dean to turn towards Gabriel. Without even thinking about it then, and without even considering all of the things that were surrounding the couple at the very moment, Gabriel inched closer and closer to Dean’s plush lips until Dean was able to feel Gabriel’s breath on his face. Gabriel had given him enough time to back away, and Dean never did. 

 

Instead, Dean leaned closer to Gabriel, his heart beating a million miles an hour. It was beating so fast that he felt like it was going to fly right out of his chest. 

 

Within seconds, Dean’s lips connected with Gabriel’s in a very nervous, very unsure kiss. Both of them kissed back as they moved completely in sync with each other. Gabriel moved his hand from its spot on Dean’s chest and placed it on Dean’s firm jaw line as they continued their action. After a brief moment, both of them split, breathing heavily both because of the kiss and from the rate that each of their hearts were beating.

 

Gabriel opened up his eyes and stared at Dean, just as he was opening up his own eyes. Gabriel studied the white orbs intensely. 

 

“W…Was that…” Dean swallowed. “Was that…okay?” 

 

Gabriel nodded. “Yeah,” He replied. “That was more than okay.” Gabriel smiled warmly. “Happy New Year’s Dean.” 

  
Dean smiled as well. “Happy New Year’s.”


	16. On the Road Again

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> After visiting Dean's family, Gabriel and Dean are finally on their way back to college.

Gabriel placed the last of the luggage in the trunk of the car as Dean gave his father and mother both hugs up at the front of the house. Gabriel would have to admit, he really enjoyed being in the presence of Dean’s family. Even though things may have been a little rough here and there, he would have to say that, as a whole, the trip went well. _Plus_ , he thought, _I had more of a Christmas here than I ever did at my own house._

As the last of the luggage was hoisted into the back of the car - Gabriel shut the trunk - Dean and his parents made their way over to the car. They stopped near the driver’s side of the door, Mary and John looking at Gabriel. A warm, motherly smile was present on Mary’s face and that comforted Gabriel. 

 

“Thank you for coming this Christmas.” Mary said. “It has been nice meeting you. You really are a bright young man.” 

 

Gabriel’s cheeks heated up as he rubbed the back of his neck nervously. “Thank you ma’am.” He said to her. 

 

“And we hope that you boys have a safe trip back to college.” Mary placed her hand on Dean’s shoulder. “Please be safe on your way back.” 

 

Dean smiled. “We promise mom.” He replied. 

 

Mary gave a small nod before Dean made his way over to the passenger’s side of the car. Gabriel noticed how Dean dragged his fingers along the car as he walked, which Gabriel thought was absolutely adorable. Gabriel stood near the driver’s door and looked towards the aged couple. He looked towards John, who had a stern look on his face. Gabriel held out his hand. 

 

“It was nice meeting you sir.” He said with great respect. 

 

John took Gabriel’s hand in his and shook it. “It’s been nice meeting you too.” They ended the handshake. “You’re a nice kid. I hope you’re good to my son.” 

 

“Oh, I will. I will do my very best.” Gabriel gave a nervous smile. 

 

That answer satisfied John. He smiled and gave Gabriel a small nod. Finally, Gabriel was able to enter the car, soon followed by Dean. John and Mary made their way up near the front of the house. Gabriel started the car and, as they began to back out of the driveway, John and Mary began to wave. 

 

“Your parents are waving.” Gabriel stated as he waved at John and Mary. 

 

Dean rolled down the window for a brief moment and stuck his hand out, waving at them before he pulled his arm back in and rolled up the window before too much cold air could get into the car, which was slowly heating up. It wasn’t long before Gabriel drove off and the Winchester house slowly, but surely, disappeared from sight. 

 

The pair stayed silent for some time before Gabriel spoke. “I had fun.” He simply stated keeping his eyes on the road. 

 

Dean turned his head ever so slightly. “Yeah?” He asked. 

 

Gabriel nodded. “Yeah. Your family is really nice.” 

 

Dean snorted. “Please. Try living with them for eighteen years, then their true form will really be known.” Dean smirked. 

 

Gabriel couldn’t help but laugh, his shoulders shaking up and down because of the action. “I bet they’re not that bad to live with.” Gabriel rolled his eyes.

 

Both of them were silent for some time. Gabriel turned up the radio, the classic rock music pouring out of the speakers. Dean and Gabriel both stared straight forward. As they continued driving, Gabriel looked down at Dean’s hands resting on the center console. Gabriel grabbed Dean’s left hand and set their hands down on the console. A smile appeared on Dean’s face. 

 

“When will I get to meet your family?” He asked. 

 

Gabriel visibly tensed. He stayed silent as his muscles loosened and his grip on Dean’s hand disappeared, his hand barely grasping Dean’s. A worried look crossed Dean’s face. 

 

“Gabriel? What’s wrong?” Dean asked. 

 

Gabriel shook his head. “Nothing. Nothing Dean.” Gabriel gave Dean’s hand a small squeeze. 

 

“Something’s wrong Gabriel. What is it?” 

 

Gabriel sighed heavily, slouching in the driver’s seat. He took a small glance at Dean before turning his eyes back to the road. “I think it might be a while before I take you to meet my family.” Gabriel said. “It’s been close to ten years since I’ve seen them myself.” 

 

“Why is that?” Dean questioned. 

 

“Well,” Gabriel cleared his throat. “The last time I left, I didn’t really end on good terms with my father. It was just some stupid fight. Everything verbal, nothing violent. I haven’t spoken to him since then.” 

 

“I…” Dean closed his mouth and swallowed the lump in his throat. “I’m sorry. I didn’t mean to bring up the subject. I didn’t…” Dean couldn’t find anymore words to use. 

 

Gabriel’s shoulders slumped as a smile formed on his lips. He tightened his grip on Dean’s hand, which was still in his, and brought it up to his lips in order to place a kiss on it. “Don’t be sorry D.” Gabriel assured him. “I just gotta get over it. Let it stop getting to me. It’s in the past and I can’t change it. Thanks for worrying about me though.” 

 

Dean smiled again. “That’s what I’m here for.” He said. 

* * *

Dean and Gabriel kept their hands intertwined for several miles. That was, until the gaslight on the car turned on. Gabriel looked down at the gas gauge and cursed under his breath. 

 

“What is it?” Dean asked, head still facing the window. 

 

“We’re almost out of gas. How do you feel about taking a small detour?” 

 

“Well, it seems like we need to anyway. Why the hell not?” 

 

It wasn’t long before they pulled into a gas station. Gabriel pulled the car near an open pump and turned the car off. “Are you wanting to come inside and get something?” Gabriel asked. 

 

Dean shrugged his shoulders. “Sure, why not.” 

 

They both got out of the car and made their way inside, Gabriel holding Dean’s hand the entire way. When they entered the gas station, Gabriel caught a glimpse of the cashier. She sat behind the counter filled with lottery tickets, chewing tobacco and cigarettes. She was heavy with long red hair pulled back in a sloppy ponytail and she was reading a magazine. 

 

Gabriel took a look around the place. “Do you have any idea what you are in the mood for?” Gabriel asked Dean. 

 

Dean shook his head. “No. I have no idea what they have here.” 

 

“Probably what every other gas station across the entire United States of America has.” Gabriel smirked as he began to drag Dean towards the candy aisle. “Oh how my sweet tooth is aching.” 

 

“What candy are you in the mood for then?” Dean asked. 

 

“I was actually hoping for a kiss.” Gabriel said, turning his head to look up at Dean’s six-foot-one figure. 

 

Dean’s cheeks turned visibly red as Gabriel used his free hand to turn Dean’s head towards him and he planted a nice, sweet kiss against Dean’s lips. Dean smiled into the kiss as he pressed up against Gabriel. Before they could part, someone cleared their throat. 

 

“Please boys,” The cashier started, her strong English accent really showing with each word she spoke. “You both are adorable together, but please save the affection for somewhere more private.” She had a smile on her face. 

 

“Right.” Gabriel rubbed the back of his neck. “Sorry.” Gabriel turned his head back to the candy selection, a small chuckle coming out of his throat. “You really are sweet.” Gabriel whispered loud enough to where Dean was able to hear. 

 

“Shut up.” Dean growled with a smile on his face. “Do they have Twizzlers?” He asked. 

 

Gabriel looked at the large selection of candy and, once his eyes landed on the Twizzlers, he grabbed the bag. “Yep.” He replied. He then continued to look until his eyes landed upon a hershey’s bar. He licked his lips as he picked up the bar and tugged on Dean’s hand. 

 

Dean followed obediently behind Gabriel up to the counter. Gabriel set the delicacies on the counter and watched as the cashier put her magazine down and began to ring up the items. Gabriel pulled out his wallet with his free hand, let go of Dean’s for a split second in order to grab his credit card, then grabbed Dean’s hand once more. 

 

The door opened and in came a man. He was older, in his mid to late fifties with barely any colored hair left on his head and face. He was chewing some tobacco which he moved around with his tongue once or twice. The older man caught a glimpse of Dean and Gabriel holding hands and sent the evilest of glares towards them. He growled in disgust but he moved so that he stood right behind the couple in the line. 

 

“That’ll be $5.48.” The cashier said as she took the card from Gabriel’s hand and swiped it. Gabriel input his pin into the little machine that was in front of the register and soon the transaction was complete. “Would you boys like to buy any cigs?” She asks. 

 

“I don’t smoke.” Dean responded in a low voice. 

 

“I don’t smoke either. Thanks anyway…” Gabriel looked down at her name tag. “Judy.” 

 

“Well, that’s good you boys don’t smoke. Really ruins everything. Stay off them.” 

 

“Can we get a move on?” The old man asked in an irritated, gruff tone. 

 

Judy rolled her brown eyes. “Just hold on Ed. You’re not in a hurry.” Judy handed back the credit card to Gabriel. “Sorry about asking about the cigs. Boss wants me to get rid of ‘em. Not a lot of people buy them around here. Thank God.” 

 

Gabriel smiled. “It’s no big deal. Really. I understand.” 

 

“For fuck’s sake.” Ed growled under his breath. “Can you hurry the hell up!? I have other things that I could be doing today instead of listening to you talk to some worthless fags!” 

 

Dean shifted uncomfortably in his spot and casted his head down in a shameful way. Gabriel let out a small huff of breath. 

 

Judy clenched her fists and glared at Ed. “You know what Ed. I don’t give a shit what you have to do. I am tired of your bloody bullshit every time you come in here. I am tired of hearing about the negro boy down the street doing this or that - and I am cleaning your language up for you - or about those cute little Asian girls who walk by your house every damn day. I am sick and fucking tired of you downgrading everyone who isn’t like you. As far as I care, you can get the hell out of here and never come back because my gay ass is too wonderful to have to deal with the shit that spills out of your mouth daily.” 

 

Gabriel’s eyes widened in shock as well as Ed’s. Ed opened his mouth as if to say something, but Judy told him that she had the cops on speed-dial just to remind him. Ed closed his mouth and glared at Dean and Gabriel, Dean still having his head down in shame and Gabriel’s whiskey eyes connecting with Ed’s grey ones, before he grunted and stormed his way out of the store. Gabriel watched his every move and looked at Judy when he had vanished from Gabriel’s line of sight. 

 

“Thank you for that.” Gabriel said. 

 

“No problem.” Judy replied, leaning up against the counter and rolling her eyes. “That man is one of the most racist, sexist men to ever exist. I am glad that I was finally able to get what I said off my chest.” 

 

“And are you really gay?” 

 

“Sure am. My wife and I have been married for five years now.” 

 

“Oh wow, that’s awesome.” 

 

Judy nodded. “Yea. Well, have a nice day you two.” She said. 

 

“You too and thank you again for the help.” Gabriel replied. 

 

“No big deal sweetie. See you.” 

 

Dean and Gabriel took their snacks and walked outside. Gabriel guided Dean to the passenger’s side of the car and stopped. Dean’s head was still casted towards the ground, his cheeks painted a light pink. Gabriel began to stroke the back of Dean’s hand with his thumb. 

 

“Are you okay baby?” Gabriel asked in a small voice. 

 

Dean gave a small nod, but did not speak. Gabriel set the candies on the hood of the car then used both of his hands to grab Dean’s face and move his head so that he could connect his eyes with Dean’s white ones. “Don’t lie to me.” Gabriel told him. “I know it bothered you in there. It bothered me too. But knowing that Judy was with us helped, didn’t it?” He asked. 

 

Dean gave a small nod. Gabriel smiled and pressed his lips on Dean’s. They both closed their eyes and relaxed into each other. Gabriel was the one that pulled away and stared at Dean’s face. 

 

“Better?” Gabriel asked. 

 

Dean nodded. “Yeah.” Dean replied. 

 

Gabriel’s smile widened. “Good.” He said as he handed Dean the candy. 

 

Dean got in the car while Gabriel walked on the other side of the car. He used his credit card to pay for gas. It took about three minutes or so to fill that car up with gasoline. When he finished, he got in the car and they began to drive back to the college. 

 

The entire ride was filled with the sound of music and small chat that Dean and Gabriel had. The sun had almost disappeared from the sky when Gabriel pulled into the parking lot near the men’s dorm. The candy that the two had bought were gone and the trash was stuffed into the cup holders. Dean and Gabriel grabbed their luggage from the trunk and made their way into the dorm, hand in hand. 

 

“Why don’t we just drop your luggage off then you can come in my room for a while?” Gabe asked. 

 

Dean smirked. “Yeah, sounds good.” He responded. 

 

The two of them walked down the hallway until they got to Dean’s room. Gabriel set his suitcase down outside the door before Dean opened it. Gabriel followed immediately behind and stopped at the sight before them. Sitting on the bed opposite of Dean’s was his roommate, Castiel, locking lips with the woman he remembered seeing at the diner when he went with Dean - Meg was it? Castiel and Meg pulled apart and stared at the couple. Gabriel’s mouth hung open as he stared and placed a hand on Dean’s shoulder, causing him to halt. 

 

“What is it?” Dean asked with a confused look on his face. 

 

“I think we just walked in on a little private kissing session” Gabriel whispered. 

 

“Welcome back Dean.” Castiel said, the familiar deep voice passing by their ears. 

 

“Hey Cas.” Dean responded. “Who…?”

 

“It’s nice to see you too white eyes.” Meg said as she leaned back on the bed. “Oh wait, I forgot. You couldn’t see me. My bad.” There was a great tone of sarcasm in her tone. 

 

Dean rolled his eyes. “Really Cas? Meg?” Dean asked. “Out of everyone on campus and everyone in the whole damn town, you chose Meg?” 

 

“Ugh…”  Castiel rubbed the back of his head before he shrugged. “I don’t know.” 

 

“Whatever.” Dean said as he dragged his suitcase into the room. “I’m just here to drop this off and I’m going to leave. No sleepovers.” 

 

“Yeah, yeah.” Cas muttered under his breath as Dean moved Gabriel out of the room and closed the room door. 

 

Gabriel and Dean stood there for a minute. Dean licked his lips, a smile appearing. Gabriel snorted and began laughing followed soon by Dean. They chuckled for a while before they began walking down the hallway to the opposite side of the dorm towards Gabe’s room. 

 

“That was unexpected.” Gabriel giggled. 

 

“That  _ really _ was.” Dean smiled a toothy grin. 

 

“Well, let’s see if Balthy has some chick over or not.” Gabriel said as they got to his room. He checked the door knob and the door opened. When he opened up the door, no one was in the room. “Nope. We’re in the clear. Come on in.” 

 

They walked into the room and Gabriel closed the door behind them. He dragged his luggage over to the end of the bed. Gabriel them moved over towards Dean, grabbed him by the wrist and placed the other hand on his cheek as he planted a kiss on Dean’s lips. Dean smiled and leaned his head against Gabriel’s 

  
“So, Gabriel began. “What do you wanna do?”


	17. Happy Birthday

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Gabriel gets Dean a special gift for his birthday and the two of them cuddle to no end.

The start of the second semester had been successful for both Gabriel and Dean. Their relationship had grown stronger yet (stronger than anyone on campus would have guessed), they were getting amazing grades in their classes, and the cafe was running smoothly, everyone coming closer as one giant family. Carrie absolutely loved having Gabriel and Dean back, and especially loved all the money that they were bringing in, but mostly the fact that not only her customers were happy, but her employees were as well. That was what mattered the most to her.

January 24th was the date and Gabriel looked down at the small box that he held in his hand. Two days prior, Castiel came up to Gabriel once he caught sight of him to inform him that Dean’s birthday was two days away, something that Gabriel’s very own boyfriend had failed to tell him. Gabriel took it upon himself to go out and secretly buy Dean a present, using the knowledge that he gained while Christmas shopping for Dean to his advantage. The shopping trip ended with Gabriel buying Dean a small, blue IPod Shuffle. Gabriel also took the liberty of downloading some of the songs that he knew Dean loved including music from AC/DC, Led Zeppelin, Black Sabbath, etc. so that Dean didn’t have to bother trying to fool with it - and so Gabriel wouldn’t have to do it any later than he actually had to. 

The day started off like any other normal weekday. Dean and Gabriel met at the entrance in the boy’s dorm to go to one of the on-campus restaurants for breakfast. After that, they would walk to class together, hand in hand. Then they wouldn’t be able to find each other until the end of the school day, when they would travel by Gabriel’s car to the cafe. After they closed the shop, they would drive back to the dorm, where they would both end up going into Gabriel’s room. Balthazar was usually out with some chick - he would never label them his girlfriends because he could never get one to stick for that long - and Castiel and Meg would be sucking each other's face in the room he shared with Dean, which really helped the pair finally decide on a usual after-school meeting place. There, they would cuddle up next to one another, work on homework, listen to music, turn on Netflix, the list was endless. 

Dean’s birthday wasn’t any different, except for the fact that both Dean and Gabriel were off from work that day. No one, which Gabriel was with him, wished Dean a happy birthday. When Gabriel wasn’t with him, however, Gabriel figured that Castiel was the only one to even wish him a happy birthday. It saddened Gabriel at the thought that no one besides him and Dean’s roommate would even both to say something, no matter if Gabriel knew that no one else knew or even bothered to know. It still bothered him to no end. After some thought, though, he just shrugged it off, figuring that he would give Dean the best damn birthday that he ever had - at least he hoped. 

On that particular day, Dean and Gabriel were relaxing together, Gabriel’s arm wrapped around Dean’s shoulders and his head pressed against the top of Dean’s, which was resting nicely on Gabriel’s own shoulder. Music filled the room and the two individuals that filled it were silent. It was around seven o’clock at night. 

Halfway through an AC/DC song, Gabriel used his one index finger to gently tap on Dean’s shoulder. “Hey Dean.” Gabriel said lightly. Dean hummed as he moved his head on Gabriel’s shoulder, signaling to Gabriel that he definitely got his attention. “I got you something.” 

Dean furrowed his brows. “Why?” He asked, sounding completely confused. 

Gabriel reached over off the side of the bed, grabbing a small wrapped package and bringing it to his lap. He then pushed the gift towards Dean who, once he felt the box, went to grab it. “Happy Birthday.” Gabriel said with a wide grin. 

“My…?” Dean stopped, feeling the wrapped box with his rough hands. “How did you find out?” Dean asked him. “I never told you.” 

“Your roommate did. Castiel told me a couple days ago. Thought you could skip out on the embarrassment of getting wished Happy Birthday and being one year older? Try again sweetheart.”

Dean smiled a small smile as he leaned further into Gabriel. “Can I open it?” He asked. 

“Go ahead.” 

Dean felt around the wrapping for a minute before finding a spot to tear into the material. The ripping sound filled the air as Dean opened the package. Underneath the paper was a small brown box. Dean ran his fingers over it, unable to find a place to open it. He furrowed his brows. 

“How do I open this?” Dean asked. 

“Oh, here.” Gabriel said, reaching both of his hands towards the box, placing his hands over Dean’s. Gabriel lifted the top of the box up, revealing the small IPod Shuffle. Dean reached into the box and pulled it out, holding it in his left hand and running his thumb over the device. 

“What is it?” Dean asked.

“It’s an IPod. I also threw in a pair of headphones just in case you didn’t have any. I downloaded some songs already. Mostly classic rock because I know you love it so much.” 

Dean’s smile widened as he continued rubbing the tiny device. “Thanks Gabe.” Dean said, turning his head up. 

Again, Gabriel wished Dean a happy birthday before he reached down and pressed his lips passionately against Dean’s full ones. Their lips moved in sync for a while before they pulled away from each other. Gabriel smiled widely, white teeth showing. “Happy Birthday old man.” Gabriel said. 

Dean groaned as he placed his head on Gabriel’s chest, placing the IPod Shuffle into his pocket as well as the white headphones. Dean snuggled closer to Gabriel, his ear placed right above Gabriel’s heart so that he could hear the steady beating of the organ. “Shut up…” Dean mumbled. 

“I’m playing. I’m playing.” Gabriel said, placing a small peck on the top of Dean’s head. “How old are you though?” 

“Twenty-Seven.” Dean replied. 

“Aw, you’re three years away from thirty.” 

“Shut up.” Dean smiled. 

“We need to go out this weekend or something.” Gabriel said. “Celebrate your special day.” 

Dean shook his head. “No, just being with you is enough.” 

Gabriel smiled. “You’re really sweet, you know that?” 

“So are you.” 

Again, Gabriel kissed the top of Dean’s head, placing his cheek on the top of it. The music, which had been forgotten in the start of the discussion, continued to flow through the room. The two of them stayed cuddled together for most of the night, Gabriel playing as the big spoon and Dean as the little spoon. At some point, Dean had fallen asleep on top of Gabriel’s chest and Gabriel fell asleep a little while after Dean did, holding Dean tight in his arms, ending one of the first birthdays that Dean actually smiled out of pure happiness.


	18. My Valentine

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Gabriel and Dean spend time together, being one another's Valentine.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I'm back and I'm happy. OMG

Years before Gabriel had gotten together with Dean, he would have said that Valentine's’ Day was a pretty tacky holiday filled with nothing but reasons to say that you love someone and horrible Hallmark shows. However, after the time he had dedicated to the blind man, he was determined to show Dean just how caring he could be and how much he actually appreciated Dean being in his life. That was why, weeks before the present day, he pondered what to do to celebrate that certain day with Dean. After a while of considering, Gabriel had decided on how he was going to spend the holiday with Dean.

The day began with Dean and Gabriel meeting in Dean’s room for once. Castiel and Meg - who had been dating ever since Dean and Gabriel got back from Christmas vacation - were out on the town for the day and Balthazar had yet another girl in his and Gabriel’s room for a romantic rendezvous, leaving the single dorm room to him and his boyfriend. The two of them were snuggled up against one another for most of the morning, not leaving each other’s grips unless they needed to go to the bathroom - which wasn’t that often. Other than that, they practically stayed morphed to one another from ten o’clock in the morning until three-thirty in the afternoon, listening to music and listening and watching shows on Netflix. 

When three-forty-five rolled around, Dean and Gabriel were standing up and embracing each other in a warm hug, smiles painting their lips. After the embrace, Gabriel turned around to the bed and looked down on the floor. There, laying besides the bed, was a single red rose in beautiful bloom. He smiled, reached down, and grabbed it in his hands. He then turned back to Dean, his smile only growing. 

“I got something for you.” Gabriel told Dean. 

Dean’s ears perked up. “Oh yeah? What is it?” Dean asked. 

“Hold out your hands.” 

Dean did as he was told without any complaint, stretching his hands out slightly and facing them palm up. Gabriel placed the rose into Dean’s hands and watched as Dean slowly closed them around the thornless stem. Dean used one hand to run his fingers up the flower and examine it delicately. When he got to the pedals, he stopped, bringing the plant up to his nose and inhaling the marvelous scent. Dean smiled warmly. 

“A flower.” Dean stated. 

“A red rose to be exact.” Gabriel rocked back and forth on the balls of his sock covered feet. 

“Thank you Gabe.” Dean reached up with one of his hands and grasped Gabriel’s jaw, brought him closer, and kissed him on the cheek. 

“You’re welcome Dean.” Gabriel replied. 

“I have something for you too.” Dean said. 

“Really?” 

“Yeah. Just...hold on a second.” Dean said, holding up one index finger. 

Dean placed the rose on top of the bed and began to slowly kneel down on the floor. Gabriel’s smile vanished and his eyes widened, cheeks turning a dark red. A lump formed in his throat as he watched Dean move to the ground. His mouth was moving but he didn’t say anything. His mouth shut, however, when he saw Dean reach his hand underneath the bed once he got on the floor. Dean felt around for a couple of seconds and, when he was done, he pulled out a small, heart-shaped box of, what looked like, candies. Gabriel rolled his eyes back into his head and pressed one of his hands firmly against his face. 

_ You and your dirty mind Gabriel,  _ He thought to himself.  _ Get yourself together. _

He shook his head and the blush faded from his face as Dean stood up. Dean brushed his pants off as he did so with one hand while the other held the candy. Finally, he stood there, hands holding the box. Dean pushed the box towards Gabriel. Gabriel smiled and grabbed the box from Dean’s hands, examining it and its seal packaging. 

“Assorted chocolate.” Gabriel said with a wide, toothy grin. “You really know what to buy to make me happy.” 

Dean smiled as well. “Well, Cas went with me to get them. He actually helped me pick it out.” 

Gabriel turned the box around several times before he began playing with the plastic. “Do you wanna share it?” Gabriel asked. 

“I’ve never had any chocolate like that.” Dean said with a shrug as he picked up the rose from on the bed. 

“With me around, you’re going to be trying a whole lot of different food. Especially sweets.” Gabriel smirked, throwing the plastic somewhere on the ground, mentally vowing to pick it up later. 

“You love candy?” Dean asked. 

“More than any other food.” Gabriel smirked as he opened the box and took a piece of candy, popping it into his mouth. 

Dean smirked and shrugged. “I don’t know.” Dean said, sounding a little skeptical. 

Gabriel rolled his eyes. “Come on, lay down on the bed. Let’s cuddle.” 

“Alright.” Dean agreed. 

Both he and Gabriel got situated so that Gabriel was practically on top of Dean, blanketing him. Gabriel took a piece of candy out of the box and brought the chocolate up to Dean’s lips. 

“Open up.” Gabriel said. 

Dean licked his lip and chuckled before he opened his mouth. Gabriel set the chocolate delicacy on top of Dean’s tongue. After he did so, Dean closed his mouth and began chewing on it. Dean hummed before he swallowed it. Gabriel smiled. 

“Well?” Gabe asked. 

Dean nodded. “It’s pretty good.” Dean said. 

Gabriel hummed. “Can I have a taste?” Gabriel said. 

Dean chuckled and Gabriel leaned up and pressed a kiss against Dean’s lips, closing his eyes. Dean let his eyes close out of habit. He placed his hand on Gabe’s back and brought him closer. Gabriel reached his hand up and entangled his fingers into Dean’s short, dirty blonde hair. Both of them hummed into the kiss. 

Gabriel poked his tongue out at Dean’s lips and Dean parted them. Gabriel explored Dean’s cavern with his moist muscle. Gabriel moved so that he was straddling Dean, supporting his body with both of his hands pressed against either side of Dean’s head. Dean moved his hands so that one of them was pressed against the small of Gabe’s back and the other one was pressed against his neck. 

The need for breath was overpowering soon enough and the two of them pulled apart. Gabriel panted as he pressed his nose against Dean’s. After the breath came back to their lungs, the kissed more passionately for a couple more minutes before they laid side by side against one another. Gabe snuggled his nose up against Dean’s Adam’s Apple. Dean chuckled. 

“Dean. Can I ask you a question?” Gabe asked with a straight face. 

Dean nodded. “Sure.” He said. 

“Will you be my valentine?” 

Dean smirked and brought Gabriel closer to him so that he could place a kiss on his cheek. “Of course, Gabriel. If you’ll be mine.” 

Gabriel smiled in return. “Yeah. I’ll be your valentine.” Gabe said, snuggling closer to Dean. “Happy Valentine’s Day, Dean.” 

“Happy Valentine’s Day.” 


	19. Spring Break, Anyone?

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Gabriel gets a call from an old friend. He and Dean decide on where they want to go for Spring Break.

The words to the essay seemed to easily flow from the tips of Gabriel’s fingers and onto the screen of the computer that was shining in his eyes. Gabriel’s whiskey orbs followed the cursor as the letters appeared as he typed them. He seemed focused, concentrated, serious…

Until the sound of his phone ringing echoed throughout the lonely room. 

Gabriel blinked frantically and reached into his pocket, grabbing the device and looking at the caller ID on the screen. His brother’s - Luci - name appeared on the screen. He stared at the name in awe for a while. 

Gabriel hadn’t talked to his brothers since he left his home to go to college. At least, he hadn’t had a full blown conversation with one of them since he left. Sure, Luci - who was his second oldest brother - and Michael - who was the oldest - texted him every now and then and he replied with a simple message, but neither of them had called one another and Raphael - his last older brother - was out of the picture. He didn’t call or text Gabriel at all. Gabriel always had that feeling in the pit of his stomach that Raph didn’t like him, but he had no idea why. He didn’t push anything, though. He just let things be how they were meant to be. 

The college student was so far into thought that he almost missed the call. He accepted it and placed the phone up to his ear, speaking first. 

“Hello?” He asked with a bewildered tone. 

“Hey little brother!!” Lucifer’s voice sounded from the other side of the line. “How have you been?” 

“G-Good, I guess.” Gabe set the computer down by his side and swung his legs over the bed that he was laying on. “What about you Lucifer?” 

“I’m doing well. Doing well.” 

“That’s good to hear,” Gabriel mumbled so that it was barely audible. “Why did you call?”

“What? I can’t call my own brother? Is that a crime now?” Luci’s chuckle was heard from Gabriel’s side. 

“No, it’s just...you never call. Always text.” 

“I know, but this time I wanted to talk to you about something.” 

Gabriel furrowed his brows as he pushed himself off the bed and made his way to the bathroom. “What is it?” 

“When is your spring break?” 

“In, about, two weeks, why?” 

“How do you feel about going home for spring break?” 

“No,” Gabriel answered rather quickly. He turned on the cold water, ran his hand through it, and then ran the same hand through his hair, dampening it. He then turned off the water. 

“Please,” Lucifer said, his voice already dripping with sarcasm. “Answer faster.” 

“What do you expect me to say Lucifer? ‘Sure! I would love to go home and see good ‘ol dad! You know, Dad! The one who cares more about counting bills than his own sons’ well being’?” Gabriel flung his arms in the air and made his way back to the bed, where he flopped down next to his laptop. 

Lucifer sighed. “Gabe, I know that you have a bad relationship with dad. I mean, I do-” 

“ _ You  _ have a bad relationship? Please! Why would he give you thousands upon thousands of dollars if you didn’t have a good relationship with him? Huh? Hell, he offered you twice as much as he offered me!” 

“Think about it Gabe-” 

“No! I’m not going to, alright! Once I left, I left for good. I’m paying my own way through college, earning money on my own, not relying on dad to help me through life every step of the way!” Gabriel made sure his voice was low so that people didn’t come up to his door with a noise complaint because he was shouting. Instead, he growled between his teeth. 

“Then come home for Lilliana then!” Lucifer said with a strong tone. 

Gabriel’s eyes widened upon hearing that familiar name ring through his ear drums. He slowly sat up on the bed, clenching one hand into a fist by his side. “Don’t you dare do that to me.” Gabriel said. “Don’t you dare bring her up!” 

“You know that she misses us! You were her favorite, we all knew that! Raphe hated it, but that’s besides the point. We all knew that you were her favorite. Still are. She loved taking care of you the most!” 

Gabriel brought his free hand up to his head and grabbed a handful of hair into his fingers. He sat there in silence, forgetting that his brother was on the other end of the line. For just that moment, he thought about the times when he was back home, with Lilliana. 

Lilliana - at the time that Gabriel was four years old - was a forty-year-old house maid that was employed by Gabriel’s father. She wasn’t just the maid, though. Her job was to take care of the boys. After the kids’ mother died, they had no type of parental contact. God only knows that their father didn’t set aside time from his life in order to look out for them, or care for them. They didn’t have that type of contact from a parent that a baby, a child, so desperately deserved and needed. That was, until their father hired Lilliana. After that, it was as if their mother never left. She was there, always, with them. She was the most understanding person that would have ever graced the face of the earth. Whatever problem the boys had, she knew how to fix it. Hell, she even knew what the problem was before they spoke about it. She was just like that. An amazing woman filling an amazing position. 

Lilliana, herself, was never married. She never had kids of her own - biological, that was, because Gabriel and his brothers were practically the kids that she had always wanted. Lilliana was the only person that could get Gabriel to go back and Lucifer knew it. He knew that she was his weakness. Gabriel didn’t want to leave such a wonderful woman in the hands of his father. He didn’t even deserve to be in the same house as her. She was so much more. She deserved so much more. And she was the reason why Gabriel was considering taking up Lucifer’s offer. 

He knew she was a strong woman, though. He knew it. Lilliana could make it through her life with a horrible man like his father and still be happy. Gabriel just...missed her. How could he not? She was all that he had. 

Finally, Lucifer spoke on the other end, knowing what Gabriel was thinking. Just, knowing. His brother was easy to read. Always was, to him at least. 

“So, are you going to be coming home?” Lucifer asked for the last time. 

Gabriel ran the hand that wasn’t holding the phone down his face and let out a heavy sigh. Even though the thought weighed heavily on, not only, his heart, but his brain as well, he still shook his head lightly. “No,” He said. 

“No?” 

“No.” Gabriel said with a stronger tone. “I told you once before that the answer was ‘no’ and now I’m telling you a second time. The final answer is ‘no’.” 

Silence filled the room and the other side of the phone. Neither of them spoke to one another for, what seemed like, several minutes. It wasn’t until Lucifer let out a sigh on his end that he decided to speak. 

“Fine,” Lucifer had a slight tone of irritation that was noticeable by his brother. “Be that way. If you change your mind, though, you can call me.” 

“Bye Lucifer.” 

“I’ll see you Gabriel.” 

With that, the phone call ended. Gabriel threw the phone towards the end of the bed and buried his face into his hands. He had totally forgotten about the essay and the only thing that was in his mind was Lilliana. 

_ Dammit Lucifer,  _ Gabriel thought.  _ How could I have forgotten her? I guess that I was just so involved with Dean that...Dean. Spring Break is in a couple of weeks? What are we going to do? Does he have a plan? He already took me to see his parents and I haven’t even brought up anything remotely good about my dad. Have I brought up my dad?  _ Gabriel sighed.  _ What am I going to do?  _

Gabriel brought his feet up to the bed and placed his computer back on his lap. He abandoned the essay, brought up Google, and thought. He wanted to get away from college during Spring Break, some place in the country that was quiet and serene and a place where Gabriel and Dean could enjoy themselves. 

Gabriel searched for half an hour. He searched peaceful vacation places in the United States, but none of the options seemed all that enjoyable to him. He didn’t want a beach vacation or some nice looking hotel inside of some expensive city. No, he wanted something that was semi-affordable and something that both him and Dean would be able to remember. Then it hit Gabriel like a speeding bullet. 

A lakeside house. 

That was perfect! If he could find a place that was secluded enough as well as close enough to the lake, he and Dean would have a grand ‘ol time. He would also have to find someplace that was good when it came to price range. He could always connect the rent to his credit card. So he spent some time looking for good places by lakes that had good reviews and great rent prices. Finally, after a while of looking, Gabriel decided to make the vacation for Lake Michigan. He checked out some cabins and finally found one that was a couple hundred feet away from the lake itself. It was perfect and only a hundred dollars a night. Gabriel was able to afford that. He knew it without a doubt. The next thing he had to do, though, was ask Dean. He grabbed his phone from the end of the bed, dialed Dean, and pressed the device against his ear. It took a while, but Dean did answer. 

“Hello?” Dean spoke from the other end. 

“Hey Dean.” 

“Hey sweetheart,” Gabriel could practically hear the smile on Dean’s lips. “What are you up to?” 

“Nothing much.” Gabriel said. “I was just doing my essay when I started thinking about Spring Break. Did you have any plans?” 

“Sit around with you and do nothing?” Dean chuckled. 

Gabriel smiled at the response and shook his head. “Wonderful plans, but what do you suppose we go and do something? Go somewhere different?” Gabriel asked. 

“Where did you have in mind?”

“I don’t know, I was thinking a lake house near Lake Michigan? How does that sound?” 

“That sounds nice.” 

“Really?” 

“Yeah, as long as it will be just the two of us.” Dean said. 

“Yeah, it’ll just be us. I already have a place picked out that I think you’ll really like. It’s right by the lake and everything!” Gabriel exclaimed, feeling proud of himself. 

Dean chuckled. “That sounds awesome.” Dean said. “And we’ll have the whole place to ourselves, right?” 

“I already said, ‘yes’.” Gabriel said. 

“Alright, just making sure.” 

Gabriel smiled a bright smile. “Awesome. I’ll book it. How about we stay there for a week?” 

“That sound good.” 

“Great.” Gabriel said as he began to do some work on his computer. “That’s awesome.” He chuckled. “Well, I’ll talk to you later Dean.” 

“I’ll talk to you later sweetheart. Can’t wait to see you again.”

“Can’t wait to see you either. See ya.” 

“See ya.” 

Gabriel hung the phone up, smiled brightly, and set the phone by his side. He took the time to fill in the necessary information needed for him to be able to rent the house. It took him awhile to get the final details about when they would be leaving as well as when it came to payment options. He figured that he would just get it charged onto his credit card. After everything was complete, he got back to his essay, going at the same pace that he was before he got the call from his brother. It was as if nothing really happened.


	20. The Cabin

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Dean and Gabriel finally left for Spring Break to have a wonderful time together. Gabriel arrives at the cabin late at night and examines it before he brings Dean in for bed.

It was late - approximately eleven-thirty at night - when they got to the cabin. Gabriel had driven there and Dean had started to doze off in the seat next to him. The cabin was moderate in size and beautifully brown in color. The patio that was connected to the house was small but was still able to hold a porch swing. Gabriel parked the car in the driveway before he got out, smiling at the way that Dean had his eyes closed and was leaning against the window. He let out a small snore. Gabriel chuckled deeply. He then closed the door and walked to the back of the car. He took his keys and unlocked the trunk. He popped it and grabbed both of the suitcases that rested in it. He then closed the trunk and walked to the door, leaving Dean in the car.

As Gabriel walked up to the door and looked around. There was an envelope that was taped to the door that read his name: Gabriel Novak. He set the suitcases down on the porch and grabbed the envelope and opened it out. Inside was a letter and a key. He grabbed the key and placed it in his pocket. He then placed the letter in his pocket as well. He took the key from his pocket and unlocked the door. The door easily swung open and he was welcomed to a darkened room. He grabbed the suitcases and brought them inside, leaving the door open. He looked around and quickly found a switch. He lit up the room, revealing the living room. 

   It was large and spacious, filled with a brown couch and two loveseats on either side of it, facing inside that matched. The coffee table had a glass bowl filled with complimentary mints that were all individually wrapped. There was a smaller, older television that sat on a small table. The remote was on the coffee table. 

   Gabriel walked into the kitchen and turned the light on in the kitchen. There was an island that rested in the middle of the room with three chairs connected to it. Surrounding it, there were counters, a fridge, a microwave, and a stove. Gabriel walked to the islands and brought out the letter. He began to skim over it. It was printed on copy paper with an official symbol in the corner of it. 

_  Dear Renter, _

_    Welcome to the cabin of your choosing! We thank you for your time and your choice. Go ahead and take a look around. The key has been provided in the envelope. If the key is lost please contact (865) 721-5862 and we will get you a new one as soon as possible.  _

_    The fridge has already been packed with food for you. Feel free to go out and buy some more if you find it is necessary. Everything else, including toiletries and soaps and shampoos, are upstairs in the bathroom. The first door on the right. The bedroom is on the left. There, you will find complementary blankets and other essentials. Now, before you get started with your cabin experience, please remember that there are people who wish to rent the cabin after you. Please be courteous and clean up before you turn in your key. If there are any issues regarding the house, please call the number above.  _

_    Again, thank you for choosing us and have a wonderful stay. _

   Gabriel hummed and put the letter back in the envelope. The door on the left, huh? He walked back to the door and grabbed the suitcases. He smiled and carried them up the stairs. The door on the left was shut. He opened it and reached in, turning on the light. He gazed in awe at the room. It was absolutely beautiful. The bed was King sized and covered in a beautiful red comforter. There was a large open closet, a dresser, and two nightstands. Gabriel walked over and set the suitcases beside the dresser. He figured that he and Dean would just have to put all the clothes and essentials that they brought with them away in the morning. He yawned and rubbed his eyes. He then sluggishly walked down the stairs and out of the cabin. 

   Dean was still in the car, leaning more against the window and snowing. Gabriel smiled warmly. He walked to his door and slowly opened it, placing his hand on Dean’s shoulder to stop him from falling out of the car. A groan came from Dean as he opened his eyes tiredly and his eyes darted around. 

   “Gabe?” He groaned and whimpered. 

   “Shh, shh, I’m here baby.” He said and caressed his cheek. He reached around him and unlocked the seatbelt. He let it wind itself back up. “We’re here. Come on. Let’s get you inside.” He said. 

   Dean closed his eyes and nodded, slowly getting out of the car. Gabriel wrapped his arm around Dean and Dean leaned his head against Gabriel’s shoulder. Gabe guided Dean into the cabin after closing the passenger’s side door. Dean’s feet were dragging behind him as Gabriel led him up the stairs and to the bedroom. Gabriel sat Dean down on the bed and began to slowly strip him. Dean groaned. 

   “What’re you doing?” He asked, his cheeks turning visibly red. 

   “Getting you in your pajamas.” He said and took off his shirt. He tossed it onto the floor. He then took off his shoes and socks and then slowly took off his jeans. He then tossed them onto the ground next to the shirt. “Go ahead and lay down.” 

   Dean nodded and crawled onto the bed. He covered himself with the comforter and buried his face into the pillow. He groaned and fell back asleep easily. Gabriel smiled tiredly. He walked out of the room and then went downstairs, turning off all the lights before he wandered back up the stairs. He went to the bedroom, turned off the light, and took off his clothes so that he was only in boxers. He crawled into the bed, next to Dean, and covered up. He wrapped his arms around Dean and pulled him close. It wasn’t that long before he slowly drifted off into slumber with Dean in his arms.


	21. Good Morning Sweetheart

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Gabriel and Dean wake up in their new Spring Break cabin and begin to talk about their break over an awkward breakfast.

Gabriel placed his hand on Dean’s back as they walked down the hallway of the cabin and down the stairs. Dean was very timid and cautious as he walked, waving his right hand back and forth gently as a way of feeling around.

“Don’t worry babe,” Gabriel said and walked right beside him. “I gotcha. I gotcha.” 

Dean trusted Gabriel, but every step he took felt as if he was going to fall into a pit. He wobbled, and every inch was uncoordinated. Gabriel felt bad for him but knew that he wouldn’t let Dean fall, no matter what. 

“Why don’t we go into the kitchen and I’ll go outside in the car and get your cane?” Gabriel asked. 

Dean whined and nodded. “Yes please.” He said.

With that, Gabriel took Dean’s hand and led him to the kitchen, remembering what had happened late that night. As Gabriel led Dean to one of the island chairs, he tried to remember where it was Dean had put his walking cane just before he went to sleep. It was when that he recalled that Dean stuck it in the backseat after they stopped at a fast food joint on the highway. Dean shakily sat down on the chair. 

“Be right back,” Gabriel said as he pecked Dean on the cheek. 

Dean nodded. “Alright.” He said and folded his hands on top of the table before he began to feel around, running his hands over the smooth surface. He hummed, smiling lightly. 

Gabriel loved seeing Dean smile and lingered longer just to catch a glimpse of it. After a few seconds, he departed, leaving the kitchen and heading outside to the car. The white and red stick stuck out of the side of the passenger’s side seat in a playful way. Gabriel chuckled as he unlocked the passenger’s side, opened it, grabbed the cane, then closed and locked the door before he headed back in. The distant sound of Mourning Doves filled his ears before he shut them out by closing the front door. 

“It’s beautiful outside,” Gabriel told Dean as he entered the kitchen. “The temperature is great.” 

Dean’s ears perked up upon hearing the sound of Gabriel’s voice. He smiled. “Really?” He asked. “Maybe we should open up with windows and let some of that nice air in.” 

“I’ll do that right now.” 

Gabriel walked to Dean, placed his hand on Dean’s, and then handed him the cane. Dean took it gratefully and began to poke around with it. Making sure not to mess with Dean’s poking, Gabriel walked over to the windows in the kitchen and opened them up, immediately feeling the fresh breeze on his exposed skin. Dean shivered. He inhaled the scent of nature outside of the cabin. 

“It smells beautiful. Gabriel, let’s go outside.” He said. 

“Ah, ah,” He said and chuckled. Gabriel walked over to him and took a seat next to him at the island. He grabbed one of Dean’s hands and began to rub his thumb over his knuckles.

“Why don’t we have breakfast first then we discuss what we are going to do this week, then we can go outside. Deal?” 

Dean beamed, his teeth as white as the clouds outside. Gabriel couldn’t help but return the smile. Dean nodded excitedly. “Deal.” He told him. 

Gabriel nodded and got off the stool. ‘Alright,” He started. ‘What is it that you want for breakfast?” 

“Well,” Dean hummed, rubbing the side of his head lightly, yawning. Once he finished, he continued. “What do we have?” 

“That’s a good question.” Gabriel nodded. He walked over to the fridge and opened it. The fridge was stocked full of many different ingredients including meats, dairy, vegetables, fruits, processed items, and more. Gabriel smirked. “Everything.” He responded to Dean’s previous question. “We can have whatever you like.” 

Dean blushed. “How about some eggs and bacon?” 

“Chicken baby and pig it is.” Gabriel grabbed the package of bacon and the carton of eggs before he closed the fridge and set them on the counter. 

Dean chuckled deeply, his chest rumbling. “Don’t say it like that.” 

Gabriel smiled. “Why not?’ He asked, looking over his shoulder. 

“Because you sound like an idiot.” 

“You’ve been dating me for a couple of months now. I would think you know by now that I am, in fact, an idiot.” 

Dean shook his head and fiddled with his fingers all the while holding the stick. Searching the cupboard, Gabriel found two different pans that he could fry the eggs and bacon in. 

“What kind of eggs would you like?” He asked Dean. 

“Are scrambled eggs alright?” Dean asked. 

“Sure are sweetheart.” Gabriel confirmed as he began to cook their breakfast. 

The only thing that broke the dead silence in the room was the sizzle from the bacon once Gabriel dropped it into the pan. Thinking as he cooked, Gabriel realized how awkward it felt - awkward wasn’t the best word to describe the situation, but rather: strange. It was as if him and Dean had boughten a house together. They had never been in the same house, alone, for a long period of time. Hell, they have never been in the same house alone. They were at their dorm most of the time and the only other instance when they were in an actual house was when it was Christmas and they were visiting Dean’s parents. It was then Gabriel knew that he needed to strike up a conversation. He glanced back at Dean and watched his he played around with the stick, twirling it to the left slowly and then shifting it to the right. Gabriel bit his lip. 

“So, Dean, what are you wanting to do while we’re here?” He asked and raised his brows. 

Dean’s head perked up and so did his ears. He hummed. “Umm...I was thinking maybe we can go into down and take a walk? Go to some shops nearby and get some souvenirs?” 

Gabriel smiled lightly. “I like that idea.” He said, nodding. 

“What about you? Did you have any special ideas planned?” 

Gabriel stirred and eggs and hummed lightly. He cocked his head to the side. “I was thinking that we could have some time alone. Watch a movie, listen to music, cuddle, stuff like that. Also, I really want to go swimming. The lake is really close and it looks amazing.” 

“Swimming…” He trailed. ‘I haven’t gone swimming in years.” 

“But I’ll be with you all the way, don’t worry.” 

“This isn’t like ice skating Gabriel, I could actually die.” 

“Oh, hush.” He said as he placed the eggs and bacon on two plates. He walked over to Dean, kissed his temple, and set the plates down. He grabbed forks and gave one to Dean and kept one for himself. 

Dean felt around for the fork and finally grasped it. He set his cane to the side and began to feel around the plate before he ate. Gabriel took a bite of his eggs before he rubbed Dean’s shoulder lightly. 

“Don’t worry, Dean,” He said. “I’ll make sure that nothing happens to you. You just have to trust me.” 

Dean finished chewing before he swallowed. He stayed perfectly still before he cocked his head to the side and nodded. “Alright.” He told him. “I’ll trust you.” 

Gabriel smiled, loving the fact that he was able to be trusted. That Dean liked him that much that he would put his life in his hands. Come to think of it, the idea was rather terrifying to have someone’s life in your hands. How was Gabriel going to survive medical school with that much stress? Dammit, one more thing to think about over Spring Break. Gabriel took a deep breath in, and then let it out before he continued to eat, enjoying the food that he made. 

“This is really good.” Dean said and smiled, biting into the crispy bacon. 

Gabriel smiled with a bit of pride. ‘Thank you.” He said. “I bet you can make better.” 

“Stop.” Dean shook his head and smiled. 

“You could though.” 

“And I said stop.” He smiled wider. From when Gabriel glanced at him, he could see that his cheeks were covered in a dark red blush. This made Gabriel smile wider. 

For the rest of the time, the two of them finish eating in near silence. Once the meal was completed, Gabriel took the dirty dishes and silverware and placed them in the sink. When he came back, he wrapped his arms around Dean’s shoulders, bringing him close. Dean smiled and blushed brightly. Gabriel nuzzled his nose into Dean’s neck. 

“So, what do you wanna do today?” He asked. 

Dean hummed. “How about we have a nice day at home?” He asked. “Just relax together.” 

Gabriel nodded. “I like the sound of that. Let’s get dressed.” 

“Alright.” Dean said as he got down from the chair and grabbed his cane and Gabriel’s hand. With a small smile on his face, Dean walked more comfortably around the house. 

Dean and Gabriel made their way up the stairs, desperate to start their spring break. 


	22. Day 1

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Gabriel and Dean are finally ready to start their spring break. Day 1

Gabriel had picked out Dean’s outfit for that day - taking the liberty of putting him in something comfortable so that the two of them could lay around all day. Gabriel gave Dean one of his black tee shirts with AC/DC on it as well as a pair of loose blue jeans. Gabriel, on the other hand, stole one of Dean’s massive shirts, loving the way that it smelt like the cologne he used, and wore a pair of jeans as well.

After the two of them dressed, Gabriel gave Dean a guided tour of the cabin, giving a brief description of each room before watching as Dean felt around with his fingers and cane for every object that was placed accordingly in the rooms. That process took, about, thirty minutes. Dean took the longest to examine the bathroom, kitchen, and bedroom, no doubt making mental images of the room and attempting to remember every inch of it. 

They ended in the kitchen and that was when Gabriel pulled Dean down by his shirt and pressed their lips together in a romantic kiss. Dean blushed, tensed, and closed his eyes instinctively. Gabriel pulled back and examined the pink that danced across his cheeks. He chuckled. Dean’s eyes opened again. 

“You’re adorable.” Gabriel said. 

Dean blushed deeper. “No, I’m not.” 

“Yes you are.” 

“No.” He grumbled and smiled. 

“Yes.” 

“No.” Gabriel could see the smile widening on his boyfriend’s lips. 

Without hesitation, Gabriel dipped Dean, causing a yelp to fall from his lips. Dean tensed up and grabbed onto Gabriel in a death grip, his knuckles turning white. Gabriel smirked. 

“I got you.” 

“You’re an asshole.” 

Gabriel raised his brows in mock surprise. “Me?” He asked, his voice laced with sarcasm. “Why would you call lil’ ‘ol me an asshole?” He put one hand over his chest while the other one held onto Dean tightly. 

“You gave me a heart attack. Warn me next time.” Dean said, chest moving up and down at a rapid pace. 

Gabriel hummed in thought before he shook his head. “Nope.” He told him and leaned down, kissing his jaw and his lips. 

Dean kissed him back and felt a sense of relief as he was pulled up from the terrifying stance. Their lips separated and Dean leaned against him. 

“What do you want to do today sweetcheeks? Today we are going to stay in and just relax in our new cabin.” Gabriel smiled. 

Dean hummed. “I definitely want to go outside and enjoy the sun and the wind.” He said. 

“That does sound good.” Gabriel agreed, smiling. He bit his lip. “I can also read to you, we can listen to music, dance, listen to movies…” He trailed. 

“Snack?” 

Gabriel nodded. ‘Of course, Dean. It wouldn’t be a day in if you didn’t snack on junk food and the occasional fruit to make yourself feel better about yourself.” 

Dean chuckled and nodded. “Okay, why don’t you choose what we do first and then I choose. We go back and forth.” 

“Yeah, that sounds good.” He nodded. ‘Well, what I’m really in the mood to do is swing you back and forth in a little dance.” He smirked. 

“Gabe, I’m not that good of a dancer.” Dean shook his head, smiling. 

“You don’t have to be good.” He shrugged. “I still want to dance with you.”

Dean hummed and bit his lip. “I don’t know.” He said. 

“Sure you do.” Gabriel grabbed Dean’s hand and began to lead him to the living room. “Sit.” He said and pushed Dean gently onto the couch. Dean blushed and chuckled. He got comfortable in the his spot before placing his hands in his lap, folded.

Gabriel went around to every window that was in the living room and opened it, the breeze blowing and immediately sending the strong scent of nature flowing through the room. Dean inhaled, shoulders rising and then falling. He smiled at the satisfactory scent that ran through his nostrils. Afterwards, Gabriel moved to the stereo that sat next to the television and plugged his phone into it. It was there that he began to play slow dancing music through the speakers, the instrumental songs echoing through the room. Gabriel turned back to Dean and smiled, helping it. 

“Come on, handsome.” He said. “Let’s get dancing.” 

“I don’t know how.” 

“Then I’ll teach you.” 

Dean looked uneasy as Gabriel laced their fingers together and placed his hand on Dean’s waist. Dean didn’t know what to do with his extra hand, clenching it lightly. Gabriel placed Dean’s hand on his shoulder. 

“There you go.” He said. “Just follow my lead.”

Gabriel went slow at first, stepping to the side. Dean followed. Gabriel stepped back. Dean followed. Every single step that Gabriel stepped, Dean followed. Soon, the two of them were swaying back and forth as the instrumental music played through the speakers. Dean had leaned his head against Gabriel’s shoulder. Gabriel smiled. He kissed his head. 

“Am I doing good?” Dean asked, raising his brow, eyes closed. 

“Yeah,” He smiled. “You’re a natural babe.” He rubbed Dean’s side. 

Dean smiled and kissed Gabriel’s cheek. “You’re really sweet.” He said. 

“So are you, baby.” He said. “So are you.” 

  
  


“The Afterlife, by Billy Collins.” Gabriel said, reading the title of the poem that was in the page of the book. He sat on the couch, poetry book in his right hand while the left hand massage Dean’s scalp, who lay in his lap, eyes closed and listening intensely. 

“While you are preparing for sleep, brushing your teeth, or riffling through a magazine in bed, the dead are setting out on their journey. They are all moving off in all imaginable directions, each according to his own private belief, and this is the secret that silent Lazarus would not reveal: that everyone is right, as it turns out. You go to the place you always thought you would go, the place you kept lit in an alcove in your head. Some are being shot up a funnel of flashing colors in a zone of light, white as a January sun. Others are standing naked before a forbidding judge who sits with a golden ladder on one side, a coal chute on the other. Some have already joined the celestial choir and are singing as if they have been doing this forever, while the less inventive find themselves stuck in a big air-conditioned room full of food and chorus girls. Some are approaching the apartment of the female God, a woman in her forties with short wiry hair and glasses hanging from her neck by a string. With one eye she regards the dead through a hole in her door. There are those who are squeezing into the bodies of animals - eagles and leopards - and one trying on the skin of a monkey like a tight suit, ready to begin another life in a more simple key, while others float off into some benign vagueness, little units of energy heading for the ultimate elsewhere.” 

Gabriel smiled. Dean smiled as well, humming. “That was nice.” He said. “A little spooky but nice at the same time.” 

Gabriel chuckled and kissed his head. “Let me find a better one. A more...romantic one.” 

Dean blushed. He awed and giggled. 

After skimming through the book for a while, he stopped on a poem by Robert Frost. “The Pasture by Robert Frost.” He said and began to run his fingers through Dean’s spiky hair. “I’m going out to clean the pasture spring; I’ll only stop to rake the leaves away (And wait to watch the water clean, I may): I sha’n’t be gone long - You come too. I’m going out to fetch the little calf that’s standing by the mother. It’s so young, it totters when she licks it with her tongue. I sha’n’t be gone long - You come too.”

Dean smiled. “Aw.” He said. “You want me to come too?” 

Gabriel chuckled and kissed his nose and then his lips lightly. “Of course I do.” He said. “I always want you with me.” 

Dean smiled and Gabriel entangled their fingers together, switching the book to the opposite hand. “Read another one.” 

“Alright, alright,” Gabriel said and turned back to the book. 

  
  
  


“It feels beautiful outside.” Dean said with a wide grin on his lips. 

The sun was just setting behind the trees, causing the wind to cool down lightly. As it crept through their back and into their hair, goosebumps rose on their arms. Gabriel and Dean were nuzzling against one another on the porch steps. Gabriel had his back against one of the pillars, legs spread wide with Dean settled between then. 

“It really does.” Gabriel agreed, nodding lightly. 

“I really love it here. Feels so nice and it’s great to be away from people for once.” 

“I agree.” He said. “And it’s really nice to be able to be out here with you.” He nuzzled against his cheek. Dean chuckled. “I really love spending time with you.” 

“Really? I love spending time with you too.” He said. “You make me feel like I don’t have a disability and I really like it. You treat me like normal.” 

“Well, you are normal. You shouldn’t be treated differently because you can’t see.” He said. 

“I just got so used to it in school.” 

“People in school are assholes.” He said. 

“You could say that again.” 

“People in school are assholes.” 

Dean rolled his eyes. “I didn’t mean-” 

“I know.” He smiled. 

Dean closed his eyes and leaned back against Gabriel’s chest. Dean had never felt happier than he did at that very moment, in Gabriel’s arms, at peace with nature. He had no one around to hurt him or tease him or make him feel like he wasn’t worth it. With Gabriel, he felt like he was important. Like he wasn’t blind. Well, the only thing he wasn’t blind to was Gabriel’s kindness. He could tell that Gabriel actually cared for him, which warmed his heart just thinking about it, and Dean knew, for a fact, that he cared for Gabe. 

  
  
  
  


“I’m  _ not _ going to lay on you.” Dean crossed his arms and shook his head. 

“Come on, babe. That’s what all other couples do. They lay on each other on a small couch.  _ That _ is a small couch. Now, why can’t we be like that and lay on each other?” 

“Because I’m bigger than you! I’ll crush your tiny body.” 

“I’m  _ not _ tiny! I am but three inches from the average male height, so I’m almost there.” Gabriel raised his brows, pointing at him. 

Dean chuckled and shook his head. “No.” He said. 

“Too bad.” He said and grabbed Dean’s hand, pulling Dean up and laying swiftly on the couch before pulling Dean on top of him. Dean shook his head and tried to push himself off. 

“No, Gabe.” He groaned. 

“Yes.” Gabriel smiled and wrapped his arms around Dean, pulling him close. He reached down and grabbed the remote to the DVD player and turned it on. 

Dean sighed. “You are so difficult.”

“Says the difficult one.” 

“ _ Hey _ !” Dean chuckled. 

“Just shush and get comfortable.” Gabriel smiled. 

Dean opened his mouth, as if he was going to retaliate, but he shut his mouth and laid his head on top of Gabriel’s chest, hearing the sound of his steady heartbeat. Dean relaxed and snuggled against him. The movie began to play and it was then that Gabriel closed his eyes and began to rub Dean’s back. Gabriel wished he knew what it was like to be blind. What Dean was going through, but he was just there. Gabriel was the ignorant one, not knowing what Dean was experiencing on a day to day basis and it bothered him, though he never took the time to voice his opinion due to the fact that he didn’t want to make Dean uncomfortable or offended. He didn’t know if the fact that Gabriel felt that way would bother him. So, he just kept his feelings hidden deep within his mind and his heart. 

  
  


After four hours of movies, the two of them decided to go to bed, sloppily trudging up the stairs. Gabriel and Dean both stripped to their boxer briefs and climbed into bed, immediately snuggling into one another. Dean placed his nose into Gabriel’s neck and Gabriel wrapped his arms tightly around Dean. He yawned. 

“That was a good day today.” Dean said with a hum.

Gabriel nodded. “I thought so too. I loved hanging out with you.” 

“I loved it too.” Dean mumbled under his breath tiredly. 

There was silence between the two of them for a while before Dean spoke again.

“What’re we going to do tomorrow?” He asked. 

Gabriel hummed and rubbed Dean’s back. “Swimming.” He mumbled. “At the lake.” 

Dean whimpered, causing Gabriel to pull him closer. 

“You’ll be alright baby.” He said. 

“No,” He grumbled. 

“Yeah.” He kissed his nose. “Just get some sleep and we will talk and worry about it in the morning.” 

Dean nodded. “Okay.’ He said. “Goodnight Gabe.” 

“Goodnight, sweetheart.” 


End file.
